Setsuka Heel
by ktoll9
Summary: A/U: Little Kyoko had been living a lie and didn't even know it. Soon she would discover who she really was, and discover that the stories about downtrodden princesses weren't always just stories. Rated for subject matter and for a possible citrus orchard in the future. 8)
1. Chapter 1

_**Setsuka Heel**_

 _ **Chapter 1**_

* * *

She had gone to her little spot in the forest like so many times before. Today the adorable six almost seven year-old was here because her little prince Sho, decided to join in on the taunting with the other children, it would most likely be the first of many occasions to come.

She sat on the large rock that Corn had sat on only a few months before and fingered the ripped dress. Her favorite dress. It was the one her Mother had given her before she decided to leave her with the Fuwas forever. So immersed in the memories of what had happened and the caustic words that had thoroughly abused her that day, along with the actions of the jealous little girls at school, she never heard the rustling of leaves, the soft footfalls or, felt the large male presence behind her that would soon cover her mouth, preventing her little screams or, the large arms that would carry her from her favorite place. Little Kyoko-chan was officially a missing person.

* * *

Yayoi Fuwa was upset and livid. The girl had been so much trouble lately, getting into fights at school, running off constantly to heaven only knew where and now this. She had been gone for a couple of days. Tomorrow would be school and if they didn't find her soon, she would have to call the police to look for her. She didn't know the girl had gone to the forest to cry. She didn't know the fights she had in school were always caused by her own son or his little fan club, that he almost always encouraged it out of his own insecurities and jealousies. Finally, she had no idea that sweet little Kyoko-chan had definitely **NOT** run away. It would be weeks before her son broke down and told her the truth out of guilt, after hearing the police tell Yayoi that it was quite possible that the child was dead.

* * *

"She's perfect, Sean." The beautiful woman beamed at the man next to her as they watched the nervous, quiet little girl bow to the pair. "Can we adopt her?"

He smiled widely. She was perfect. She would fit into the family like no other. Her hair was raven-black like his wife's and her eyes were almost the same shade of gold as his. She was sweet, she was polite for a six year-old and very intelligent from what the lawyer had told them. At first he wasn't comfortable adopting this way, but as soon as they met little Setsuka, they were enchanted. They couldn't understand why a parent would want to give up such a wonderful little gem. Oh well, their loss and a gain for the Heel family.

"Of course Lilly." He told her before turning to the man sitting off to the side. "How long will it take?"

With the connections that this particular lawyer had, most certainly not the normal allotted time necessary for a _legal_ adoption. Kyoko would be leaving Japan in a matter of days with a new passport, a new name, and a family that actually wanted her enough to commit a crime to get her.

The lawyer smirked. "Only a couple of days. Just long enough to get her paperwork finished." Her paperwork being, her new birth certificate that permanently linked her to the Heel family out of London England, her passport that was convincing enough to fool even the most seasoned of officials, her medical records that implied that she'd been Setsuka Heel her entire life and were from a hospital that he had well paid affiliates working in, and finally a photo album of baby pictures that were most certainly not of her, but were very convincing and included a few photo-shopped images of her with her family over the years. In the case of Sean and Lilly Heel, money most certainly did buy happiness. After so many years of trying for children unsuccessfully, they finally had their little fairy princess. The little diamond in the crown of the Heel Legacy.

* * *

By the time Yayoi Fuwa had the presence of mind to finally call the police and Saena, it was already too late. Kyoko had been spirited out of Kyoto and was being introduced to Sean and Lilly Heel as a prospective adoptee in an upscale Tokyo hotel room. A week later, as the police were telling Yayoi that if the child wasn't found in the first couple of days, there was no hope of ever finding her, she was on a plane with her doting new parents to her permanent home in England.

The fact that her kidnappers had tossed aside her torn and bloodied clothing from that day's little abuse at school, and dressed her up in a frilly pink dress, ruffled-bottom panties, and black patent-leather shoes with ruffled socks, had aided the police in the assumption that they wouldn't find the child alive when they discovered the bag of clothing in a dumpster, near a secluded restroom, at an old park that few, but the seediest used. The possibilities were endlessly sickening and Yayoi was devastated by the news.

Weeks later, when little Shotaro confessed what he knew, he was shocked by the lack of punishment, but he could sense the obvious change in attitude his parents had towards him. He was seven, they knew it wasn't his fault, it wasn't that type of change. They had kept a closer eye on him, doted upon him more and were far more attentive about his comings and goings than they had been. There was a kidnapper on the loose and quite possibly a child killer. They didn't want to lose their only son too. Enough had been lost with Kyoko-chan. They didn't want the police finding his torn and bloodied clothing in a dumpster too. Little Shotaro Fuwa, the heir to the Fuwa Legacy, was officially on lock-down for a very long time.

Due to the fact that the police had evidence of foul play, the death certificate was signed. For all intent and purpose, Kyoko Mogami was no more and the Fuwa family now kept watch over their only child as if he were one of the crown jewels. In England, Setsuka Heel was doted upon and treated like a little princess. She was the only daughter of a formerly childless couple that had spent years trying to have children. Not wanting to disappoint her new mother and father, she did her best to use the English she had just recently begun to learn at her school in Japan. To their surprise, she had nearly perfected her ability and her accent had begun to match theirs after the first week together, on their plane trip back to London.

Her first week with them she had polished her English speaking skills and learned so much about her new parents. Her new mommy was a fashion model/designer and her daddy was a photographer. They both had lead very private lives, but that wasn't something she would discover or understand until she was much older. They both loved to travel. They lived in England for most of the year, but had homes in other countries for when they traveled. They treated her like a little princess. They showered her with clothing and toys that she'd never even seen before. They both carried her everywhere she went and even let her stay up past 8 pm and watched movies with her. Her new daddy even had a large book of fairy tales he read from when it was finally time to go to bed.

By the time she and her new family had boarded their small private plane back to England, she had a new family, a wonderful new Spitz puppy named Yuki, because of his snowy-white fur, an endless supply of princess dresses, and enough toys to last her a lifetime. She truly felt like Cinderella, all she was missing was her prince, but she just knew she would get that later. She wanted to enjoy what she had been blessed with for now. Maybe some day she would meet Corn again and she could tell him everything that had happened. With the way her new parents treated her and her comparison of how the Fuwas and her mother had been, she knew she was truly blessed. Quite an epiphany for a six year-old.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

* * *

The first time she saw her new home, she'd surely thought had to be a castle. It was huge. It had eight bedrooms, the kitchen was almost as big as the entire living quarters of the Fuwa Ryokan, and the backyard was almost as big as the little forest where she and Corn played, with trees, flowers, and even a little stream and pond with fishes.

She had three nannies, but Mommy took care of her most of the time. There was a cook named Lucius, a butler named Sebastian, and the head-maid named Penny. They were all very nice and sometimes even took time out of their busy day to play with her, like Mommy and Daddy. In her second week at home, she met her tutors. They would be teaching her until her parents felt she was ready to go to her new school. They told her it was a very private, special school where she would meet other kids just like her. Whatever that meant. What that did mean was that it was a private school for gifted children. Sean and Lilly had seen her potential and decided at once that it shouldn't be wasted on the mundane. So, there would be music lessons, ballet, gymnastics, vocal lessons, and the standard learning curriculum for a child her age, which was quickly adjusted to accommodate her thirst for knowledge. Needless to say, Setsuka Heel would not be a child that got into trouble out of boredom.

Three of the eight bedrooms, were hers and all were attached to each other. On the left of her bedroom big enough to fit four of her old rooms, was her study. She had bookcases full of books, a beautiful desk that had roses carved into it and a soft poofy chair. She had large, comfortable chairs to curl up into and read. A fireplace and thick, plush carpet, all in a rainbow of pastels and lightly colored woods.

On the right of her bedroom, was her playroom filled to the brim with her new toys, games, and even a section for arts and crafts. The room was decorated in a wide array of bright colors and more of that wonderfully soft, fluffy carpet, soft enough to sleep on, in her young opinion.

The coup de gras, her bedroom, her own little sanctuary. It was large enough to fit four of her bedrooms from the Fuwa Ryokan in. The endless floor was carpeted in more of the fluffy carpet in white. She had tall windows that went from floor to ceiling and opened into a large balcony over the garden and faced the East. Her bed was a giant of a bed. Mommy and Daddy had told her it was a King, which she thought was funny. Her bed was a King of beds, but it looked like a princess with all of the beautiful, billowing curtains and the large canopy over the top.

When Sean and Lilly had discovered that her favorite color was blue, the same color as her special little stone, they had called their designer and had it decorated specially for her. They had painted a beautiful forest on her walls and there were little lights on the ceiling that looked like stars when the lights were turned off. Her closet was big enough to walk into and change comfortably and she even had her own bathroom with a shower and a tub that made its own bubbles and decorated to please a mermaid.

"So, do you like it Princess?" Sean asked a little worried, but with an expectant smile as Lilly stroked her little back.

She glanced up at him and smiled brightly then snuggled into him. "I love it Daddy. It's perfect."

The pair gave a little sigh of relief and beamed at what she'd said. It was the first time she had given a reaction like that and actually called him Daddy. She had been refraining from using any of the common titles that a child would for their parents for the short time they'd known her and they were starting to worry about whether she would warm up to them or not. This was definitely a big step in the right direction.

"Would you like to play with some of your new toys while you wait for dinner?" Lilly asked as Sean put her down. "Or would you like to explore?"

Kyoko/Setsuka looked up at the pair a little nervously. "Um... Would you mind if I explore?"

Sean laughed and Lilly smiled. Lilly kneeled down to Setsuka's height. "Sweetie, you don't even need to ask. This home belongs to you and Yuki now. Just be sure to stay where we can hear you if you need help, okay?" She caressed her new daughter's cheek and Setsuka nodded with an excited smile, then hugged her new mother.

"Thank you Mommy." She hugged her tightly and Lilly felt a few tears of happiness almost escape.

"Mommy and Daddy need to make a few calls, but if you need us just ask Sebastian or Margot and they'll bring you to us, okay?" Sean told her before they left her to her own devices.

* * *

"The adoption went though. She is the most perfect little angel anyone could possibly ask for Juli. I just can't believe it." Lilly gushed over the phone and it felt good that her friend was finally able to experience the joys of being a mother.

"I'm so happy for you Lilly. Of all the people, you most certainly deserve to be a mother. I can't wait to meet her." Juli smiled into the phone as she sketched out another of her designs. "Will you still be coming to join us for Christmas?"

"Of course. How's little Kuon doing?" She asked, knowing that her second-cousin was having issues with her son a few months ago.

"Oh, he's doing much better since that trip to Kyoto in the summer. It was really good for him." Juli sounded relieved. "So I guess that Japan will always be a good place for our family. Don't you think?"

Lilly laughed. "I guess you're right, now that I think about it. I suppose we'll see you before then in October, for Fashion Week?"

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Perhaps I should bring Kuon with me to meet Setsuka?" Juli commented in a mischievous tone.

"Juli... She's only six. Do not matchmake my daughter before she's even old enough to understand the implications." Lilly scolded playfully.

Juli sighed. "Alright, but only for now. I'm not giving you any guarantees when she's older."

Lilly rolled her eyes, but she had to admit, if it weren't for Juli Hizuri she would have never met the love of her life, Sean.

* * *

If anyone from her old life had asked little Kyoko-chan if she missed them, she would probably have answered yes, so as not to offend them or make them feel uncomfortable around her, but honestly she really didn't even think of Sho-chan anymore. She was so completely occupied by her parents and all of her activities she really didn't have time to think. Her new life was so completely opposite. She now had people that loved her and she was an important factor in their lives. Before, she was only an extra, a fixture that was there to work for her keep. Now, she was a pampered princess that appreciated what had been given to her. She had a family and even a dog. She had everything a little girl could ever dream of and she was fully aware of it. Because of that fact, she fully appreciated it. She had never been allowed even a small pet at the Ryokan. Yayoi treated her as another of the employees, she knew this now, quite a revelation for a six year-old. Shotaro wasn't even her friend, she knew this from her time with Corn, in the clearing and the fact that he never stood up for her at school.

Many hours later, after Setsuka was finished exploring her new home, one would find a worried Lilly looking for her little girl, only to find her quietly drawing pictures in her playroom. The head nanny, Margot was sitting quietly on a small chair reading a book and watching over her as the little girl shuffled through the infinite colors of crayons looking for just the right color for the eyes of her fairy prince that she was working on, finally deciding on Forest Green and Sienna Brown.

"That's a very pretty picture, Setsuka. Who is that?" Lilly asked curiously.

Setsuka smiled brightly. "He's a fairy prince. His name is Corn." She told her proudly as she display the picture of the little stick figure with a round head of light yellow hair and green eyes.

Lilly smiled proudly and caressed her hair. "Well, he is a very handsome fairy prince Sweetie." She kissed her temple. "Dinner's almost ready, are you hungry?"

Setsuka nodded vigorously and her little tummy growled.

Lilly laughed and picked up her daughter. "Alright then, let's go see what Lucius has for us."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I'm putting a bit of a trigger warning here due to the subject matter of a lost pregnancy. I apologise, but it was necessary to tie up a loose end and bring the story to where it will need to be. It is in no way taken lightly. Thank you and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **Chapter 3**_

* * *

Setsuka was happy. It was finally October and Mummy and Papa were taking her to Fashion week with them. Not only that, at the end of the month she was going to get to be a fairy princess for Halloween. They were going to carve pumpkins with Lucius. Margot was helping to make her and Yuki's costumes, and Mummy was going to do her makeup. Lucius was even going to let her help make the candies and goodies for the party.

During Fashion week she had met so many pretty people, all dressed up like she'd never seen before. It was amazing. She even got to meet Juli Hizuri. Mummy told her that she was her third or fourth cousin. She wasn't sure what that meant, but it did mean that she was kind of family for her. Then there was Kuon.

What could she say about it? They were both surprised when they saw each other. She had honestly thought he was a fairy prince when she met him, but now? No, he really wasn't. She kind of suspected as such when her parents started introducing her to their friends and family. There was such a variety of people she'd met that looked like fairies, and they weren't. Even her own music teacher Ms. Lawrence, had light hair like Kuon's. So, she really wasn't that surprised or disappointed when she saw him again.

The pair sat in the corner of their mothers' dressing room and quietly conversed. "Is it really you Kyoko-chan?" He'd asked her in Japanese.

She giggled and replied in the language and accent that she had become accustomed to using. "Mummy and Papa adopted me. My name is Setsuka, Kuon. You can call me Setsu. That's what Pete calls me. We play at the park on Wednesdays." She told him as she searched for her blue crayon in her bag as she leaned over from her coloring book in front of her. She looked up at him. "Do you want to color too?" She asked sweetly and smiled at him.

He smiled back. Coloring with her was infinitely more interesting than just sitting there and watching his mother get her makeup done or wandering around. "Sure. What are we coloring?"

She placed the book flat on the floor and dumped her crayons out for him to look. "Right now, I'm doing the sky, but you can color Flounder." She pointed to the small fish at the bottom of the page.

Kuon picked up a brown crayon and moved toward the little image. She grabbed his hand. "NO! What are you doing?" She gasped in worry.

He gave her a confused look. "I was going to color the flounder."

She shook her little head and handed him two crayons, one yellow and the other blue. "Flounder isn't brown. He's yellow with blue stripes, silly. He's Ariel's friend." She closed the book while keeping her page and showed him the little fish on the back. "See?"

Kuon laughed a little. "Sorry Setsu. I haven't seen that movie." He told her, remembering the commercials for it that he'd seen when he was watching a nature show with his dad.

Her eyes went bright. "It's about a mermaid princess that sings really pretty and gets to meet her prince. She gets legs and everything, but the mean old sea witch steals her voice. Then the prince saves her and her papa gives her legs back and she gets to marry the prince." She babbled cutely as she continued to color, while Kuon joined in.

Lilly smiled softly and Juli giggled quietly. "Lilly, are you sure she's adopted? She is just too much like you were, at that age." Juli teased.

Lilly just shook her head. "As far as I'm concerned, she's always been my little girl Juli. Hands down."

* * *

Just before her birthday, little Setsuka had contracted a very high fever. The moment she complained that she didn't feel well, they were in the car and on the way to the hospital. After so many years without a child and the loss of their first pregnancy, they were not about to lose their little princess to the common cold.

With her fever, the swelling in her hands and feet, the bright red of her tongue, and her irregular heartbeat, she was immediately admitted into the hospital and the doctors had diagnosed her with Kawasaki Disease. A childhood illness that was known to happen to children of Asian descent. Not realizing that she was adopted, the doctors ordered compatibility tests with the blood work of both Lilly and Sean, in the case that they may need to perform heart surgery.

Less than a week later, as she was starting to recover, Lilly and Sean were given the interesting news that would cement their bond even further with little Setsuka. She was biologically their child. They were both stunned to utter silence. How could that have even possibly happened? Didn't their daughter die in childbirth on Christmas Day all those years ago? The only explanation had been that records had been mixed up somehow and now they were sitting in the hospital room with the little girl they had adopted, that was actually their own daughter by blood. So all those years ago, little Kyoko Mogami, the child that was never wanted in the first place, was the one that was with the angels, not Dahlia Heel.

Although they had wished that they could explain this to her, she was still far too young to understand this concept. When she was older, she would fully appreciate the situation that brought her back to her real family, but not today. Today she would nibble her ice cream and sip on her flat soft drink that the nice nurses brought to her for her ravaged throat so that she could take her medicine and get better, while she snuggled the little stuffed teddy bear that Papa had brought from home for her.

* * *

" _Oh thank heavens."_ Juli sighed out over the phone. _"So she's going to be okay now?"_ Juli clarified and thanked her lucky stars that Kuon had never been sick.

"She's fine now and should be from this point on, as far as that's concerned. The doctor said it's just one of those things and we caught it before it could do any damage." Lilly reassured her. "But there is one more thing..."

" _Lilly? Are you okay? You sound like you're crying. Are you sure she's okay?"_ Juli asked with concern.

Lilly wiped her tears and smiled softly. "I'm okay. It's just that we had blood work done in case it was needed for her and found out... We found out that... We found out she's our little Dahlia. Setsuka is our biological daughter."

Juli was silent for a long moment. _"Are you sure?"_ She whispered into the phone in disbelief.

"One hundred percent. We had them run another DNA test when they informed us. We didn't think it was possible at all. I suppose the hospital in Kyoto got the birth records mixed up due to the busy holiday." She sighed out.

" _Is there anything you can do about it?"_ Juli asked with concern.

Lilly sighed. "Juli, you know what I told you. You're the only person that knows the circumstances. They wouldn't care if she was our biological daughter or not." She said quietly.

Juli sighed. _"I suppose you're right. I guess all we can do is enjoy the miracle for what it truly is. You're finally able to hold your little girl."_

"Well, let everyone know that she's okay and we'll definitely see you guys on the next holiday. Setsuka has her first day of school soon and I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle it without breaking down in front of her." Lilly confessed.

Juli laughed. _"Don't worry. It will get easier. Get plenty of rest and give me a call to let me know how it all went."_

"Okay, love you Juli-Bear." Lilly giggled before hanging up.

Sean wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her temple. "Are you going to be okay?" He whispered.

She nodded with a big teary smile. "Now more than I've ever been, Love." She hugged him back, while both thought of how truly, and miraculously lucky they were.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

* * *

Seven year-old Setsuka Heel absolutely loved her new school. It was perfect for her. It allowed her to continue her studies that she'd started at home, at her own pace. If she'd been enrolled in a regular school she would have been placed in a class with children at least two years older than her, but this school kept her with children her own age while allowing her to be taught the more advanced curriculum. Her friend Pete went to another school, but she was able to make a bunch of new friends during her first week. At one point, her worried parents had snuck in to observe their little girl and would discover her surrounded by other children during recess, practically begging for her attention. This somewhat flustered little Setsuka. She'd never had this type of attention, it had always been for Shotaro. Now she was the one that they were fawning over and sharing their lunches and toys with. Oh the joys of being the new kid.

By the time February half-term rolled in, Setsuka was firm in her status, grades, and popularity in school. Unlike Valentines Day in Japan, the girls were the ones that got the presents and the candies from the boys, and boy was her little decorated post-box, made from a shoe-box, filled to the brim with the delightful little, colorful, heart-shaped cards and goodies. She was so excited by the time she got home, she was dancing around in the foyer as Yuki twirled in circles with her.

"Well, what has you tickled pink little miss?" Margot giggled as she watched the little pixie dance about with her Valentine filled shoe box.

"Look Maggie! Look!" She opened the box and displayed her little treasures. "They're all for _**me**_!" She breathed out excitedly. "I've never had anything like this before." Her little eyes glowed with pleasure.

Margot smiled softly at the child. "I would think you should expect even more next year, Dove. You are quite a pretty little thing."

Setsuka blushed a little and hugged her nanny. "Thank you Maggie. Oh! Do you think Papa and Mummy would mind if I make them something for Valentine's Day?"

Margot picked her up and carried her to the kitchen. "I think it would be more than alright, Sweet One. Your parents would be over the moon to get something from their precious little treasure. Now, let's get you a snack before it's time for your ballet lessons." She told her as she sat her on one of the stools next to the breakfast bar.

* * *

The one week she was off of school was going to be a very busy week as a family. Certainly she would be getting a break from school and all of her lessons, but they would be traveling to France. Usually when Mummy and Papa traveled, it was only a couple of days and she would stay with Maggie, Sebastian and the others. Not once did she ever feel the loneliness or abandonment that she'd felt even a year ago. She had people in her life whose world revolved around her. Although her nanny and butler had been hired to care for her, they did so as if she were their own child. So, she kind of had more than one set of doting parents.

Mummy had a fashion show. For a whole week she would get to watch her mummy model clothes for a famous designer and on some of the other days, she would get to go with Papa, while he took pictures of all of the pretty buildings and parks. She even got to go to the zoo with him. She got to see the giraffes, lions, tigers, elephants, monkeys and so much more. It was the most fun she'd ever had in her young life. She'd never seen so many different animals in all of her little existence.

It had taken a few days to see everything and Papa did buy her a small camera, so she could take her own pictures, but they were able to see everything and take tons of photos. She could hardly wait to show her friends when she returned to school. Papa told her, he would develop the photos for her in his special room. She wanted to help, but he told her she would have to wait until she was older. There were too many things that could make her sick if she tried to do it herself. She wasn't going to argue, Papa was always right when it came to keeping her safe. She found that out when she got really sick on her birthday. It was when she discovered that they really loved her and she was really their little girl. She wasn't quite sure exactly what everything had meant, but she had heard them talking about it when they thought she was asleep. It made her very happy that they were really her parents, and just only a tiny bit sad that she hadn't been with them from the very beginning. The revelation helped her put any thought of her old life or being Kyoko, completely out of her mind. She was now and would forever be, Setsuka Heel. She would let her parents tell her the finer details of it when she was older, like they wanted.

* * *

Lilly and Sean were a little surprised at Setsuka's behavior since she'd been sick. They weren't complaining or upset by it. They were just a little surprised. She was more affectionate and open with them. She seemed more trusting and she shared everything that went on in her little life with them everyday. It was wonderful. It was almost as if she sensed the truth without them telling her. It was as if she knew she was their biological daughter and wanted to make up for lost time.

Her next school break/family vacation would be during the Easter or, Spring holiday. She would finally get to see America. Los Angeles, to be exact. Where Kuon lived. She could hardly contain herself. She had everything planned out. She had missed Kuon's birthday and she really wanted to give him the photo album she had made for him that contained copies of all of the pictures she took when she was in Paris with Mummy and Papa.

Because she enjoyed recording her trip last time, Papa bought her a real camera, not one of those little disposable ones. He bought her a digital camera so that she could put the photos on her computer herself and print them out. Mummy and Papa had bought her the best ones that had just come out. She had been the first of her class that had a computer and camera like that. After that, her friends soon followed in the little trend. So amongst her circle of friends, she was the trend setter. As soon as something became available, Sean and Lilly made sure that Setsuka had the best of it. It would only be a matter of time before the Heel and Hizuri families were connected by the internet.

* * *

"So, we'll get to stay at Disneyland, and go to the San Diego Wild Aminal Park, and The Universe Studios where they make the movies, and we get to go camping with Kuon and Uncle Kuu and Auntie Juli." and she continued to list off all of the wonderful things they were going to do while in California. Lilly and Sean couldn't help, but giggle at her enthusiasm. Setsuka was just so full of energy and excitement for the two week trip.

"Setsu... You do know we'll need to go shopping before we go. It's very warm this time of year in California. You really don't have any summer clothing to wear for the trip." Lilly smiled mischievously.

Setsuka's eyes went wide. "Really? We get to go shopping?" She asked excitedly.

Lilly nodded. "And you'll need a bathing suit. Kuon lives by the beach." She added as she watched her daughter practically glow.

In the end, she would travel to California with a full new summer wardrobe and two new bathing suits: One Little Mermaid two-piece, and a cute little frilly sailor suit one piece. She would return home with several photos, souvenirs, and some of her happiest memories to date. She could hardly wait until Kuon came to visit in the summer. Mummy and Papa said they would be vacationing in the _French_ _Rivereria... Rivera... Riviera_. Yes, the French Riviera. They were even going to rent a boat to share with Juli, Kuu, and Kuon. She could hardly wait. Mummy was already teaching her more French for the trip.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

* * *

Their trip to the Riviera had been exciting and wonderful. They got to sail on the ocean. They played on the family beach. Kuon had told her they had other beaches, but kids couldn't go because the ladies let their boobies hang out. Kyoko was a little embarrassed at the thought, but it was kind of funny. She got to go snorkeling with Kuon. That was the funnest. Kuon taught her how to swim with the mask and still breathe while looking at the fishes. She and Kuon even got to sleep on the deck of the boat when they were on the ocean. It had been their best summer ever.

* * *

The year sped by pretty fast, and she was well close to another birthday once again. The year before last, she had been sick, and for her eighth birthday she was able to spend it with the Hizuris. She loved California. This year, she would be nine in a few weeks and her parents had decided that it was time for her to meet her godfather in Japan. Kuon, Juli, and Kuu would be there for the holiday too, so she supposed it wouldn't be so boring, and what better way to celebrate her ninth birthday than spending it with one of her most favorite people?

When they finally arrived after the long plane trip, she got to meet Papa Lory, Kouki, Lina, and baby Maria. Although, she really didn't get to meet baby Maria until a few days later, she had been born on the day before Setsuka's birthday. Maria was really cute and had eyes almost the same color as hers. Setsuka had never really got to be around a baby before and Lina was really nice. She even let Setsuka hold her. Kuon got to hold her too. It seemed to cheer him up.

She had overheard Mummy and Papa talking to Juli and Kuu; Kuon had kind of a bad time at school and they thought he was hiding it from them. She understood why he would, she was kind of having the same problems at school this year with some of the other kids, and even though she was able to just block them out and ignore them, she knew that it was sometimes hard to do something like that for some people. Kuon was a really nice person and cared a lot about what people thought of him. Setsuka did not. She had her Mummy and Papa with her, she didn't care what those stupid, mean little girls thought of her. She had her friends like Kuon, Emily, Peter, Jacob and Lance. Sure most of her friends were boys, but she had so much more fun with boys. They didn't mind doing fun things, and they didn't worry about getting dirty when they played. Most girls were just far too prissy for her tastes. She didn't mind dressing up, playing with makeup, and putting outfits together, but she didn't mind climbing a tree, making a mud pie or, fishing with her Papa once in awhile either. Besides, she had gone through much worse when she was really little and this was nothing compared to that.

* * *

For Kuon's 13th birthday, Setsuka had sent him a large book that had all of the birds of the world in it. She really hoped that he'd liked it; although, she really hadn't heard much from him other than the standard thank you. She guessed that he was just busy, but Mummy and Papa had told her that Kuon was a teenager now and had a lot on his mind. Of course she understood that he was older than her and he wouldn't be her fairy prince forever. She was aging too, and things were changing in her life as well.

More of the boys were paying attention to her and fewer of the girls were trying to be her friends. In fact, most of the girls snubbed her now. They called her a spoiled snob. She wasn't. It's just that she didn't like doing the same things they did. She didn't like sitting under the shade trees just talking about the boys and which ones were cuter. She preferred to actually play with them and talk to them. She wanted to be friends with them and get to know them instead of avoiding them, and like water off of a duck's back, the hateful words and whispers behind her back, just rolled off. She became aloof and seemingly uncaring of it all. If they were going to treat her like that, she was going to ignore them. She'd experienced something similar from her old life and decided at this point that she just didn't care about silly things like that kind of behavior anymore.

* * *

The summer of her ninth year, she spent in Australia. Most of it spent with her father while he took pictures of the different beautiful places and nature scenes. Her mother had her modeling jobs that took her away from them, so it really hadn't been much of a family vacation this time. They would spend a couple of weeks, at the end of the summer, visiting Uncle Lory in Japan and enjoying the different sites there.

* * *

On her tenth birthday, they went to spend the Christmas holiday with the Hizuris. It was nice and all, but Kuon seemed to have changed a little. She kind of guessed that it was because of what Mum and Dad had talked about in private. So, she decided to keep it to herself and just be there for him if he wanted to talk. She knew he wouldn't want to play with her. What boy, almost 14 years old, would want to play with a 10 year-old girl? The boys she played with were her age and were already getting uncomfortable around her a little. She suspected that it was because she was actually starting to look like a girl. Mum had made her start wearing a bra a couple of months ago, and she gave her the little talk. _Gross._ What made things worse about the whole situation was the body hair that started showing up and then the fact that she'd had her first period. It wouldn't have been so bad if there hadn't been an embarrassing celebration of her _"becoming a woman"_. Parents were so weird.

She had heard both sets of parents talking about her and Kuon, when they thought they were asleep. Kuu and Juli were worried about Kuon getting into fights and skipping school. They were sure he was involved in more things, but couldn't prove it. His friend Rick supposedly kept covering for him, kind of like Pete and Emily covered for her when she got picked on by the other girls. She suspected that like her, he just didn't want them to worry about him; although, she wasn't sure she really liked this Rick person. He didn't seem to have Kuon's best interests in mind, if he wasn't going to protect him or stick up for him when someone picked on him. From what it sounded like, Rick was helping him get into fights and teaching him that it was okay to hurt someone before they made the first move. That was something that her martial arts instructor had told her was a big no-no. Words should never be enough of a reason to cause harm to anyone else and violence should always be the last resort.

She and Kuon, both seemed happy at the end of the visit and had a wonderful time camping the last few days. It seemed as though it was what both families needed to brighten the spirits of both their children. The parents had hoped that it would tide them over until the next visit, during the very busy year ahead.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Trigger warning for an "OC" Death. Sorry, but it has to be done. I don't like killing them off any more than you like reading about them, but some things just cannot be experienced in life by our protagonists, if the don't experience life. Hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6**_

* * *

Lory was stunned at the great misfortune that had befallen the beautiful preteen sleeping with her head in his lap, as he stroked her hair. He was still in shock from the news as they soared high above the clouds that floated above the European and Asian continents. It had been almost a month since the car accident, that claimed Lily and Sean Heel and two weeks since most of the assets had been condensed and liquidated to put into a trust fund for their daughter. The only living heir to the multi-billion dollar estate of the Heel legacy, Setsuka Heel.

He shook his head and fought back the tears as he watched the sleeping 10 year-old. _No child should ever be put through something like this._ He thought gravely. After all that the little family had been through to find each other, fate had stepped in and ripped them apart once again. He'd had reservations about taking her from England, away from the people she was familiar with, and her friends; however, he decided to bring her back to Tokyo with him when he saw the state she had fallen into.

She was distant, aloof and closed off to everyone around her. Not even little Yuki could pull her out of her doldrums. Only he and Ruto had been able to even get a reaction from her. He had put on a silly costume to try and at least get a response from her. He'd dressed as Henry VIII. She looked up at him incredulously and back at Ruto, who'd donned a cape and a feather boa, furrowed her brow and mumbled with a cute little frown. "You two look like bloody idiots, Uncle." It was the first thing she had said since the funeral and it was because of them. If they needed to look like idiots to bring her back, they would. She was now their precious little angel and she needed them both.

* * *

Lory sighed. "Ten, could you please tell me why you aided in Setsuka's change. She's not yet even 11 years old."

Jelly Woods gave him a sad look. "Darling, everything was reminding her of Sean and Lily. I had to. I'm sure over time she'll want to go back. None of it is really permanent or can't be reversed. It's only her hair, clothes and contact lenses. Her hair reminded her of Lily, and she said that she saw Sean every time she looked at her own eyes. I couldn't just sit by and not do anything to help her out. It was killing her." She explained.

Lory looked at Ten sadly. "I suppose I could allow it, if it helps her move on, but she really needs to accept herself and her natural state. There's nothing wrong with the way she looks, she's quite beautiful."

Ten shook her head. "That's not why she did it, Darling. Yes, she's beautiful the way she was, but she was seeing them every time she looked in the mirror. She was imagining them in their last moments and remembering them as they were at the funeral. If I have the power to rid her of those images and ease her nightmares, I'll do it." She finished with a little bit of a pout.

Lory pulled her into his lap and hugged her. "I understand. Thank you Ten." Had she not explained it in such a way, he supposed that he'd never understand. After all, he and Ruto were also trying to keep the little angel out of the darkness in their own way by dressing up day after day, and something like that really wasn't as much of a hassle as one would initially think, it was quite fun and he did get a reaction and smile from the girl every now and then. So, if Setsuka Heel wanted blonde hair with pink streaks, light-blue eyes, and she wanted to dress in all black, he had no problem. Everyone mourned in their own way and he was just glad that she didn't go other available routes that children in her situation, with her resources did.

* * *

"Setsuka, what would you think of learning to speak Japanese and attending school here?" Lory tossed out the idea to her, hoping to get a favorable response. He really believed that she needed to be around children her own age, instead of traipsing around LME when she wasn't with her tutors and instructors.

"I don't mind learning Japanese. I suppose it would be useful at some point, but I... I thought, maybe... I really don't want to go to school here." She still couldn't erase the memories of her very first year of school in Kyoto and how everyone there had treated her.

"Can I know why?" He asked softly, sitting next to her.

She glanced down at the little bear her parents had given her, that she carried around with her everywhere she went now. "I'm scared. I don't want them to make fun of me."

Lory's brow furrowed. "Why would they make fun of you?" He asked as he saw the small tears wet her hands.

"Mummy and Daddy are gone. I don't have anyone." She sniffled.

Lory pulled her into a hug. "Setsuka... Dove, as far as anyone is concerned, I am your father now. It is absolutely none of their business what your circumstances are or, how you were brought to me, Ten, and Ruto." He stroked her hair. "I don't expect you to address me as such, but I will be here for you, just as they would have been if they had been given the choice. The same goes for Ruto and Ten. You can even count on Kouki and Lina too, if you need someone to talk to." He finished and kissed her temple.

She snuggled into him. "Thank you Uncle Lory." She glanced up at him with tear abused eyes and gave him a small smile. "You look silly again today, Uncle."

He chuckled and nodded. "Yes, My Dear. I certainly do, but it is getting very fun wondering who to be the next day."

* * *

Poor Lory was at his wit's end with the little, almost 11 year-old in his life. Her birthday was in a few days and she absolutely refused to celebrate that or, Christmas in any way. He supposed he could understand why. It would be her first in awhile without Lily and Sean. He was not about to force it, and bringing in Juli and Kuu really wouldn't help either. They had their own problems dealing with Kuon. Puberty was not being kind to him and Lory could see a big storm brewing with that one.

It nearly crushed him when she informed him that she wanted to go back to school in England. He was hoping that she wanted to stay in Tokyo with him, but he wasn't going to deny her the right to spread her wings. He was just going to make sure that she did it safely. So, he searched until he found the perfect school for her in the general vicinity of London. It was one of the most elite. They had a variety of activities that she could participate in. They boarded their students and didn't accept any younger than the age of 11. They had been touted as one of the best and had the most dedicated staff to care for their students. A boarding school that would be close to what she called home and be like a home and family for her.

Time would pass and a little girl would gradually become a young woman. Lory would see her on the holidays and for about a week in the summer. He was not going to force her to be in Japan if she didn't want to be. He didn't do that with Kouki and he certainly wouldn't do that with her. He had hoped at some point Kuon would have contacted her after the funeral, but he supposed he felt a little helpless and wounded when he hadn't been able to console her at the funeral. Lory tried to explain to him many times, that it was just one of those things that only someone who had gone through a loss could help with, and Lory had gone through many losses, as did Ruto.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

* * *

She only had one more year of High School left and she really started to miss her Uncle Lory or Papa Lory as she now called him. He and Ruto had been there for her when others hadn't or, couldn't. She hadn't seen or, heard from Kuon, Kuu or, Juli in a very long time and she felt a bit guilty over it. Although, it wasn't like any of them had made an effort to contact her either. She was not about to make the same mistake and let herself drift away from her Papa Lory too. So her mind was made up and she gave the call to Lory that he had been waiting almost five years for. His little angel, Setsu was coming home to him.

Setsuka Heel, also known as Setsu by her family (Ten, Lory, Kouki, Ruto and Maria) and her closest friends (Emily Foster, the British Ambassador's daughter to Japan). Emily Foster was elated that her best friend would be flying out to Tokyo with her and both girls were as thick as thieves on the first class flight to Tokyo. Emily's stay would be tentative, she was a dyed in the wool trouble-maker and her father would not stand for her causing trouble while he was on the job. Setsu's stay would be for however long she deemed it. It was her decision to be in Tokyo and normally, she was a cool-headed, laid-back personality that didn't give you trouble unless you gave it to her first. If that were the case, she would make your life a living hell until you either surrendered or, ran screaming from her.

Almost five years in a boarding school, with no one to run to for consolation had taught Setsuka Heel that she could only depend on herself when it came to people that wanted to mistreat her. She oozed self-confidence, didn't show weakness, and she most certainly didn't care what anyone thought of her. Her Mum and Dad had taught her at a very young age that the only opinions that mattered, were those of the people that love you, and her family loved her unconditionally.

"Bollocks Setsu! You didn't tell me you were so completely minted. That limo is so lush!" Emily exclaimed when she saw Ruto opening the door for her as the chauffeur put her bags in the boot of the Takarada gold limo. "I mean, I know you're loaded, but a gold limo?"

Setsuka groaned a little. "Shut it, Em. Papa is just a little eccentric. It's not mine."

"Oh... Yeah, right, okay. Well anyway give me a bell when you can." She waved her phone at her and smiled as she went to the black sedan that was waiting for her. "Maybe we can go knees up later."

Setsuka just nodded and waved. She wasn't sure when she would have time or, if Lory and Ruto would let her out of their sights long enough to party with Emily, especially considering Emily's reputation. She wasn't even sure if Emily's father would allow her out of the house while in Japan.

* * *

"I see you've decided to wear your hair black again, Setsu." Ruto smiled softly while noticing the dark blue streaked throughout her long, teased up locks. She was still hiding her golden eye color with contacts. He noticed that she was still going with the icy-blue she had favored when she was eleven. Perhaps her natural gold was only steps away. She was wearing her hair black again like her mother's.

She nodded. "Had to for my passport. I'll probably have Ten change it up when we get home." She commented distractedly as she checked her email and text messages.

He quietly sighed. At least she was willingly changing it back for her passport. She really didn't need to when she traveled. The only thing she really needed natural, was her eyes for her passport. "Your father wanted us to stop by LME after you were picked up from the airport. He's going to be late tonight, they're holding the annual talent auditions this week." He informed her.

She looked up and a smile crossed her lips. A smile he hadn't seen on her in quite some time. She sighed. "I really haven't been there in a long time."

He nodded in agreement. "Not since you were eleven."

"Wow, has it really been that long since I've been in Tokyo?" She marveled.

He nodded once again. "You will have to brush up on your Japanese before you start school next semester. I doubt that will be a problem for you though, Setsu." He smirked. "I'm sure Maria will be more than happy to assist in your practice, and perhaps you can brush up on it by assisting in the office over the summer break." He suggested. "The school you will be attending runs on the same scheduling as your school in London."

"I suppose I have a couple of months to brush up then." She smiled at him.

He nodded and looked out the window as the limo slowed. "Ah, we're here." The limo rolled to a stop and Ruto left the vehicle to open her door. "Just follow me miss."

She nodded.

* * *

Ren watched as Ruto escorted the stunning little raven-haired female through the lobby. She certainly looked familiar. She was pretty eye-catching. Her dark hair had blue highlights running through it. Her eyes were a cold icy-blue and her lips were blood red with snake bite piercings. Her long legs went on for miles, and she prowled like a panther behind him in her short blue plaid micro-mini with black lace peeking from the bottom, long stockings, and platform leather loafers. Her short-sleeved, fitted, button-up dress shirt, that she'd left a few of the bottom buttons undone and untucked, leaving a nice view of her belly-button piercing and lots of skin. That sway was hypnotizing and the little chains from her leather belt jingled when she walked.

She glanced at him, stuck her little pierced tongue out at him and kept walking. _Cute, but sexy. Why did she seem a little familiar?_ He just couldn't place the face. He was pretty sure he'd never met her. He most certainly would have remembered if he had, she was pretty flashy after all.

Of course she remembered Kuon and the fact he stood there gawking at her like some gobby wanker _(in her own words)_ kind of pissed her off.

"Ren, do you know her?" Yukihito Yashiro, Ren/Kuon's manager asked as he watched the interesting little female follow their boss' assistant to the area where the auditions were taking place.

Ren shook his head. "No, she just looked a little familiar. I guess she's auditioning." He surmised as he watched the pair disappear down the hall to the lounge where the applicants were waiting.

* * *

She was cute. She looked a little dangerous and like she could be a lot of trouble, but she was definitely cute. He thought as he watched the little ravenette prowl behind the man dressed as an Arab Nomad. If this was what LME had to offer, he most certainly wanted to make sure he made this audition. He didn't care how crazy Lory Takarada was.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

She heard the male murmurs and the female whispers. She was used to it. She dealt with it most of her life now. The guys wanted her and the girls wanted to be her. She didn't care. She had better things to do at the moment and those things involved seeing her family after so long. So, she was going to lean against the wall, ignore the noise and the tosser that thought he was the bee's knees swaggering up to her like he was royalty.

"Hey beautiful. What's your name?" He asked, running his fingers through his blond hair, with what he thought was a sexy smirk.

She'd definitely been chatted up by better looking men than this one. This one was just a little boy in her eyes and she definitely was not going to let him think he was worthy. Em would be ashamed if she did. So, she ignored him and continued texting Em about what was happening at the moment. She snorted at the text Em sent her regarding the situation.

Sho was a bit frustrated at the little female not acknowledging him. Maybe she didn't hear him. He cleared his throat. "My name's Sho. I haven't seen you around. What's your name?" He tried again.

She rolled her eyes and glanced up at him. _**"That's because I'm not from here, Sho."**_ She answered in English, forgetting that Ruto had challenged her to use nothing but Japanese for the next month. No, she didn't really recognize him at all, she had blocked out that part of her life, and he didn't recognize the girl as his childhood friend that had gone missing when she was six and declared dead. It was just so long ago and people change.

He looked at her a little confused by her response. Sure he knew a little bit of English, but this girl was a bona fide foreigner. From what he could tell from her accent, she was either American or, British. Maybe she was a foreign model or something, she was pretty enough to be. He leaned in and placed his hand on the wall next to her head and she glanced up from her phone again and sighed. "So, how about after the auditions, we hook up for dinner or something." He smirked while fiddling with a lock of her hair. Something that usually had the girls melting.

She smirked as she noticed the fuming eccentric standing behind the boy. _**"No thank you. Not interested in little boys, sorry."**_

Sho's brow furrowed. "Che, whatever. You weren't really that interesting anyway. In fact, you're kind of boring and plain." He had understood a little of what she'd said.

She laughed at his juvenile response, and watched Lory scowl at the young man. Lory cleared his throat and she smiled brightly. _**"DADDY!"**_

Sho's head whipped around to see the tall older man dressed like a flamenco dancer. "D-Daddy?" Oh, he understood _that_ word perfectly.

Lory's eyes narrowed at him and he nodded. "So, my daughter was... what did you say? Plain and boring? Was that because she turned you down or do you have a problem with your eyesight?"

Honestly? Sho really didn't have an answer to something like that. He'd never been in such a position before. _What is this? Take your daughter to work day?_ He didn't even know the man had a daughter. He just killed any chance he had in getting into LME, didn't he? He groaned inwardly at the thought. "I-I'm..."

Lory smirked. "Save it. You should really work on your views of what love is supposed to be and how to treat a lady." Lory lectured. "Now, if you will excuse me... I have auditions to judge. Good luck son." He patted Sho just a little too hard on the back, grabbed Setsuka's hand and led her into the auditorium.

Setsuka giggled. _**"Daddy, you really didn't need to do that. I can take care of myself. He was just an insecure little boy that wasn't getting his way and it was just words."**_

Lory stroked her hair and kissed her temple. _**"I know Sweetie, but I didn't like what he said to you. It was very hurtful and certainly not very loving."**_

Setsuka just giggled and rolled her eyes as they sat down and Ruto served them tea, while they waited for the candidates to begin.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

* * *

Yeah, he knew he'd screwed up. It was a good thing Akatoki had their auditions the next week. If he didn't make it into LME, he would just bite the bullet and go with them. The thought of possibly ruining his chances with LME was weighing heavily on him. LME made Ren Tsuruga, and fast. The guy had sky-rocketed to fame and that's what Sho wanted. He thought if he went with Akatoki, he would have to work his ass off. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep stringing along Manami before he was able to get a real maid and his own apartment, instead of a little fangirl that followed him from Kyoto, willingly.

How was he supposed to know that the gaijin Ice Queen was Lory Takarada's daughter? He'd done his homework and there was nothing about her. As far as what was out there and on the internet, there was no Takarada-chan, other than his granddaughter Maria and she was like six or, seven years old. This girl was at least fifteen or, sixteen and there was no way she was Japanese. She wasn't like anyone he'd ever met before. He'd never met a girl that was so low-tension, and she seemed to have trouble written all over that cute body of hers. All the girls he'd dealt with were always so high-strung and begging for his attention the minute he walked in the room. Maybe she just didn't like guys. That had to be the reason she wasn't attracted to him. No woman could resist his charms.

He had to admit, she was definitely a distraction sitting in the front row behind the judges and her father. It seemed like she couldn't possibly be any less interested in what was going on, than she was. _What was is with her?_ Sho groused inwardly then noticed the earbuds in her ears, that were attached to her phone. She wasn't even paying attention to any of the applicants. Well of course not, it wasn't her duty to be. Besides, she just wasn't into Japanese music. If one were to look in her smart phone, at her play-list, they would have found a few Indie bands, some goth rock, and a smattering of heavy metal.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Maria Takarada observed from the shadows of the auditorium. She really didn't care much for any of the musicians that had come for the auditions, especially that one that kept looking at her Oba-chan, Setsuka, while they were being instructed on what was expected during the current phase of the auditions. She was too young to remember meeting her the first time, Setsuka had been in England for the past, almost five years and Maria did not travel by plane. Her mother had died in a plane crash and flying terrified Maria. Had she known her Oba-chan would have been coming home, she would have protested it very vocally. She supposed that's why Grandfather had kept it from her.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Every few minutes, she would sneak a little closer to the dark little heiress. Setsuka would covertly watch the little imp while listening to one of her favorite albums and wait for Maria to get a little closer out of curiosity. She hadn't seen her since she was a baby and she'd heard about her losing her mother in a plane crash. Setsuka could relate to the child's circumstances at the moment. The only difference between the two was the fact that she'd lost both of her parents and she had no other living relatives.

Outside of the doors to the auditorium, Maria heard the squeals of the silly women that had come for her Ren-sama and she was torn. Should she stay and keep and eye on Setsuka or, protect her Ren-sama? _Decisions, decisions._ She decided on her Ren-sama. _Oba-chan seems to be doing just fine with Grandfather at the moment._ _Grandfather doesn't seem like he is going to let any of those slimy singers near her anytime in the near future. They still have some catching up to do._

Setsuka glanced up and watched the little shadow quietly leave. _Impressive_. She thought. She smirked to herself. _The little poppet needs a bit of polishing, but she has potential._ And then came the screams from outside. Setsuka turned in her seat. _What was that?_

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Lory groaned audibly and Nakazawa looked at him worriedly. "Maria-chan at it again?" He asked.

Lory just nodded. "Ruto will take care of the situation." He commented. "Who's next?"

Sawara looked down at the top file. "Let's see, number 42. I believe his name is Sho Fuwa." Well that name was certainly familiar to Setsuka; however, she hid the surprise well, and decided to think on the new information a little later.

Lory nodded and looked at the profile photo. "Ah, _**that**_ boy. Let's see what he was able to come up with." He glanced at Setsuka. The thoughts from Lory were more along the lines of wondering what Fuwa came up with while trying to seduce Setsuka, unsuccessfully.

She rolled her eyes, put her earbuds back in, continued to surf the internet, and shop.

Sho came out, introduced himself nervously eying the little ravenette that most certainly was not paying a lick of attention to what was going on. He knew for certain that if she'd heard his voice, he would have her falling all over herself to get his attention, that's how it always was. Unfortunately, his ego was shot down mid-song when she received a text message from someone, pulled out her earbuds, whispered to Lory Takarada, kissed his cheek and left. _What the fuck was that? Was she not even listening?_

 _ **~xoxo~**_

 _ **[Just got in. In Darling's office. Come up if you want me to do your hair, Sweetie. - Ten]**_

Setsuka smiled beautifully at the message. She was sick of this color. It was depressing and she wanted it changed as soon as possible.

 _ **[You're a lifesaver, Mum. Be up in two shakes. Feel so naff, I was about lose my marbles. -Setsu**_ ]

She pulled out her earbuds and turned off her music. She stood abruptly during the song that Sho was _trying_ to sing.

"Going to see Mum." She whispered and kissed Lory's cheek.

He smiled softly and nodded. She had come so far from when her parents had died. She had been so broken and alone. It warmed his heart to hear her call him and Ten, Dad and Mum. It was definitely a breakthrough. Now, if he could just get her to accept her own eyes and hair. If it just didn't pain her so much to look at her own natural image, all would be right with the world. He watched as she left and the boy that was obviously trying to impress his goddaughter, faltered in his singing of the song that was more about a controlling type of love than what Lory was looking for.

He leaned forward in his seat after the boy was finished. "Thank you Fuwa-san."

Sho took a bow and hoped that he had made a good impression. "Thank you for listening to my song." He then left the stage to await with the rest for the results. He knew he had been far too distracted and most likely failed the audition because of what happened before.

* * *

She groaned inwardly as he tried to make small-talk on the way up. He and his manager were getting off on the 9th floor and she on the 15th. Maria was perplexed by the stifling atmosphere in the elevator. Didn't Oba-chan like Ren-sama? Every woman she'd ever met did. She and His manager observed quietly.

"Takarada-san isn't in his office today. He's judging the auditions." Ren told her, trying to warn her that Lory wouldn't be there for whatever meeting the little ravenette had.

It had been awhile since she had actually listened to and spoke Japanese, so she had to think on it for a moment to realize what he was saying, just as she had to do with _Blondie_. "I am going up to see my Mum. Thank you very much, but I am aware of what Daddy is doing today." She told him in Japanese in a thick British accent, remembering Ruto's challenge.

He looked at her a little surprised. _ **"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize."**_ He told her in English. _**"I apologize, I didn't properly introduce myself. My name is Ren Tsuruga, and this is my manager Yukihito Yashiro. Forgive my rudeness."**_

Setsuka just rolled her eyes at him and glanced at the open doors of the elevator. _**"And this must be your floor."**_ She motioned in the direction of his floor. _**"Toodles."**_ She finger-waved at him as Yashiro herded his charge out and away from the seemingly rude foreign girl, with Ren carrying a confused Maria in his arms. He didn't even recognize her, and if that were the case, she certainly wasn't going to volunteer the information or acknowledge Kuon. He was Ren Tsuruga now. The boy she once knew was gone, and it appeared as though he'd left the memory of her with Kuon. It was depressing. No hint of recognition whatsoever, that she could notice. For the first time in a very long while, she truly wanted to flip him the bird.

She took in a deep breath and let go of the thoughts. She was not going to allow something like that get her down. She came to Japan to start a new phase of her life, he obviously wasn't going to be a part of it, and she refused to allow that to bother her any more than it had. He hadn't been a part of her life for a long time now. Why let someone back in, that didn't want to be there in the first place? She was over it, and she wasn't going to force it. She shrugged her shoulders, put her earbuds back in and waited for her floor.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

* * *

Jelly Woods sighed a little as she dried and styled Setsuka's, now blonde hair with pink streaks. It was a bit troublesome. With Ren, she was dying beautiful blond hair dark and with Setsuka, she was stripping the recent color from stunning black hair and putting pink streaks back into blonde. Why couldn't the two just be happy with themselves? He had dazzling green eyes and she had gorgeous gold, and they both chose to hide their brilliant colors behind color contacts.

"Something wrong Mum?" Setsuka asked as Ten sighed for the umpteenth time in the past four hours it took to strip the old false color and prevent the damage it could possibly do. Thankfully Ten was a very talented stylist and had access to all of the wonderfully modern little tricks to prevent breakage and damage.

Ten shook her head. "Not really Sweetie. Just have a lot on my mind." She then switched the topic to the subject on whether Setsuka was going to continue acting and modeling as she had trained at school to do in England.

"I suppose. It does sound fun. Do you think Dad will let me? I still have school to attend and I haven't used Japanese in a long time. I'm not sure how good I'll be at taking direction or learning my lines." She casually commented as she admired the job Ten did with her hair.

Ten nodded. "Oh! We're going to have to redo your makeup. The colors don't match with that new color." She told her as she handed her a few makeup removal wipes.

Setsuka nodded and took them.

"I think Darling would be ecstatic to find that you wanted to do something like that. Besides, if you're worried about the language barrier, you shouldn't. You have the basics down, you just need the practice. He can always assign you a bilingual manager." She told her while preparing the makeup and brushes.

"I suppose." She mused as she cleaned her face. "It would be far less boring. I honestly don't think Em's going to be staying anyway. She can't seem to stay out of trouble." She giggled.

Ten smiled. "How long do you think?"

Setsuka sighed. "I'll give her a week, she'll probably end up nicking her Dad's car or getting plastered with some chap off the street. Don't get me wrong, I love her to death and she is my mate, but she just doesn't know when to bloody quit and she's entirely too high-strung." She shook her head and giggled, remembering all of the things they did together in school that did and didn't get them kept after class or sent to the Headmistress.

* * *

Maria sat in the shadows of the wardrobe racks and spied on her Auntie and Ten. She just couldn't understand why Auntie Setsu didn't seem to like Ren-sama. She really found her interesting so far and was hoping that she wouldn't have to divide her time between the two. She thought it would be kind of nice to be able to get to know her Aunt while still being able to spend time with Ren. Kind of killing two birds with one stone type of thing. What would happen if Setsuka really didn't like Ren and she wasn't allowed to invite him over anymore? Grandfather wouldn't allow that, would he? Maria was feeling all kinds of apprehension about her Auntie Setsuka at the moment.

"I wonder if Uncle Ruto will let me go shopping today?" She heard Setsuka sigh out, but didn't notice the glance in her direction.

Maria pouted. Not only was Grandfather and Ten going to be dividing their attentions between her and Auntie Setsuka, now she realized that so would Ruto. This was getting more, and more not fair.

"What do _**you**_ think, Shrimp?" Setsuka smirked.

Maria was now officially confused. _Who was she talking to?_

Setsuka sighed. _I guess I need to be more direct._ "Maria, would you like to go shopping with me, instead of hanging out in this boring office all day?"

Maria startled at the revelation. She'd thought she was well hidden between the racks of coats and evening gowns. She silently emerged to reveal herself. "How did you know I was there?"

Setsuka smirked. "I have my ways." She told her, examining her nails. The little sprite didn't need to know that she used to do the same thing at Lily's fashion shows when she was bored. "Well, would you?"

Marie furrowed her little brow and worried her lower lip a little, giving it some thought. "Who'll protect Ren-sama?" He seemed to be upset by something when she'd left him, like he'd remembered something he'd forgotten and felt really bad about it. He did tell her he'd just remembered something very important that he should have done. _Oh well, I suppose he'll be okay._

Setsuka laughed. "I think he's a big boy and can take care of himself. He always has, hasn't he?" The last part came out a little more caustic than she'd meant for it to.

Maria pouted a little at Setsuka's response. Yes, it did seem as though her Auntie didn't like her Ren-sama. She sighed. "I guess."

Ten looked at the pair and smiled softly. She patted Setsuka's shoulder. "You two should get lunch before you leave. Maybe freshen up?" She winked at Setsuka. "I know after that long flight, you might want a change of fresh clothes."

Setsu nodded. Ten was right. She did feel a little grimy from that long flight and a short shower, with a fresh change of clothes sounded like heaven.

"Great! Maria and I will pick something out for you to wear, while you get cleaned up and I'll do your hair and makeup after." She gave her a mischievous grin with a sweeping motion over the makeup table.

Setsuka's mouth practically watered at the array displayed. "Okay, I'll do it." She wasn't sure she really wanted Ten picking out her clothes for the day. It wasn't that she wouldn't dress her stylishly. It was actually the fact that Ten preferred to dress her in bright, cheery colors, and far too many frills for her taste. She always felt like one of those antique French dolls when she was done. She shivered at the thought of leaving the building dressed as the six year old standing next to the styling chair she was sitting in. _Not happening. I will definitely say something this time_. She determined.

Ten clapped her hands together and smiled brightly at the pair. "Wonderful! Don't worry about your hair. It's just going to get re-styled anyway." She held up her hand to Setsuka's anticipated protest. "I'm only putting it up, Sweetie. Now hurry up." She shooed her off to the office's inner suite that contained a full bathroom.

Forgetting momentarily that Maria was there, Ten flopped onto her styling chair and let out a long sigh. "That girl. When is she ever going to accept herself?" She mumbled.

Maria moved to stand next to her and tugged on her shirt hem a little. "Ten? Is everything okay?" Maria asked a little worried from Ten's demeanor.

Ten gave her a small smile and nodded. "What should we pick for Setsuka?" She pondered out loud, glancing at Maria.

Maria's little brow furrowed. Certainly she wanted to get to know her Oba-chan a little better, but she really wasn't sure she was prepared to spend the rest of the day with her. What if she was mean? What if she didn't like her, because she didn't like Ren-sama? What if she didn't like her? What if she was only pretending not to like Ren-sama to get past her? Maria sunk to the floor and groaned a little.

"Maria, you and Setsu have more in common than you think. You should really get to know her a little better. I promise you, you won't be disappointed." Ten patted her on the head, then went to the clothing racks. "Hmm, I wonder if she'll like the new R'Mandy collection? She's always been a little stylish." She nodded to herself and pulled out a nice, fitted grey, suede skirt that was cut at about mid-thigh and a loose, see-through, white blouse, that would need a camisole under it and a black, lacy tank-top.

Ten looked over at Maria and noticed that she was making a strange little face. "What's wrong?"

Maria pursed her lips. "I don't think that Oba-chan will like wearing that." She was making a guess with what Setsu had worn in, in mind.

Ten laughed a little. "I know, but I've always wanted to see what she'd look like in something a little less rebellious. Don't worry, I'll make up for it with her shoes." She smirked, and held up a pair of suede black, platform pumps with buckles, straps, silver studs and the heel section in a black and white snake skin. "So? What do you think? Do they make up for the rest?" She giggled and Maria nodded enthusiastically. "Good... Time to accessorize." She smiled brightly and Maria couldn't help, but get a little excited to help dress her Aunt Setsuka.

* * *

Ren could feel Kuon seeping through after he'd realized who the cute, flashy girl had been. It had struck him instantly when Yashiro began herding him out of the elevator. He was never given a chance to talk to her or apologize for anything. _Another relationship I've destroyed by being selfish and stupid._ He lamented inwardly. For the rest of the day, he seemed in deep thought and distracted when he had time to himself. He really wanted to make it up to her somehow, but how could he? He wasn't Kuon anymore, he was Ren. Ren wasn't supposed to know Setsuka Heel. For the first time in a very long time, thoughts of what had brought him to Japan invaded his day and he couldn't help, but think he really needed to fix the relationship he had let fall to the wayside.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_

* * *

Initially, she had her doubts when she saw what Ten had picked for her to wear. It wasn't exactly what she would normally don. It was more like something that Lory and Ten had been trying to get her into for the past year. It was a bit more conservative than what she was used to wearing. She did like the shoes, however. They definitely made up for what she considered to be overly modest clothing. At least she wasn't dressed in a nun's gown and habit, with those god-awful loafers they always wore. _Fashion suicide, definitely._ At least these were R'Mandy and one could tell just by looking at them. She smiled at Maria as they waited on their lunch in LA Hearts.

Maria looked up at her a little nervously and cleared her throat. "Oba-chan... Do you not like Ren-sama?" She asked in a small voice.

Setsuka looked at the little sprite, that had a hopeful look on her face, and sighed. "Maria, I don't know Ren Tsuruga. I have no reason to like or, dislike him. I have no interest in him at all." Nope, she certainly didn't. It wasn't a lie. She really didn't know _**Ren**_ , she knew Kuon and right now, he was not Kuon, and she had no interest in getting to know his alternate persona. There were far more interesting toys to play with. She thought as she watched the small group from the auditions walk in for lunch, while they waited for the next phase.

She sighed. _Maybe messing with them with the Shrimp present, wouldn't be such a good idea._ She'd promised Maria a shopping trip and ice cream. "Come, Poppet. It's getting boring here, let's go shopping." She announced as they finally finished their silent meal, and then paid their server.

Maria glanced up at her a little shyly. "Can we stop at The Spirit Shoppe on the way back?"

Setsuka looked at her a little surprised and smiled. "Could be fun. How about we go there first?"

Maria squealed a little. "Yay!" She grabbed her hand and pulled. "I can't wait to show you all of the interesting things they have."

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Sho groaned a little, as he walked into the diner with some of the others that almost didn't pass, and saw another of LME's cuties. This one was a blonde and was sitting with a little girl that looked very similar to her. _Must be her sister or, something._ He thought as he eyed the freshly remade Setsuka.

He watched as she left with the little doll. There was something about her, and no matter how much he told himself that she was plain and boring, it didn't help. He couldn't look at her and think that. That was his no-fail, if he knew a particular girl was out of his league, she was plain and boring. It used to work, but this time it had failed twice. Once with Lory Takarada's daughter, and now with this one. _I really need to concentrate on my glorious future._ _I cannot be thinking about stupid girls right now._ He groaned internally.

"Check out the flashy, hot blonde." One of the young men in the group whispered to the one sitting next to him.

The one sitting next to Sho turned to look and his eyes went wide. "Shin... Do you know who that is?" He whispered to the table.

Shin leaned in to hear what his friend Kaito was saying. If this guy knew who she was, she had to either be famous or very rich. Seeing that she was having lunch with Lory Takarada's granddaughter, it was quite possible that she was an entertainer. He shook his head as an answer.

"Shin, that's Setsuka Heel." He breathed out with a tone of awe.

They all gave him a confused look and watched as she walked out with the little girl. Kaito sighed and sat back in his seat. "How could you be so clueless. She's uber-rich, she owns Secrets and Cygne Blanc when she hits 18. She owns stock in R'Mandy, and some of LME International, and that's just what her mother left to her. Her father left her as a major shareholder in his photography studios, and Pinnacle Studios in Miami Florida. I'm sure there's more. I hear my dad talking about it all the time when he's trying to talk me into going to some elite private school in England." He finished.

"So, what you're saying is she's some rich-bitch, gaijin, Brit. That has more money than she knows what to do with, and her parents spoil her." Sho commented dryly.

Shin scowled at him. "Her parents died when she was ten." He said with finality. "She's Takarada-sama's goddaughter."

The boy named Hiro, sitting next to Kaito smiled. "So, is she single? It would be a shame for such a piece of prime real estate to walk around Tokyo unclaimed." He took a drink of his milkshake.

Kaito popped a fry into his mouth, and the other three listened intently. "Hmm, last I heard she was dating some director's son..." He had to think for a moment. "I think his name was Cedric Bennett, but that was a few months ago." They couldn't have possibly known that they were just friends now. Rumors always went around about her and Emily, because they preferred the attitude and company of boys, instead of the catty rich girls they had to deal with at their school.

Sho sat there a little stunned at the news. _That was the same girl I was hitting on before the auditions?_ _Wow, she's like some kind of shape-shifter._ He mused as he focused his attention on the burger in front of him.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Maria glanced up at Setsuka briefly, not liking how those boys were staring at her. Setsuka didn't seem to notice, but it kind of made Maria's skin crawl. She really didn't like the blond one. He seemed a little creepy and stalkerish. She might not know her Auntie Setsuka as well as she would like to, but grandfather did tell her that they were a lot alike, and so did Ten. Maria was intrigued by her indifference to the boys at the table they walked by. What stoked her curiosity the most, was that Setsuka didn't treat her like a baby. She talked to her as an equal. She didn't talk baby-talk to her or, down to her. Not even Ren-sama did that for her.

"Thank you for going shopping with me, Oba-chan. Grandfather doesn't like going to these kinds of places with me and I'm sure Ruto doesn't either, but he never says anything." Maria told her meekly as they finally rode to their destination, in the large golden limousine.

Setsuka giggled. "I really don't mind Maria. I find places like that a little interesting. I'll probably pick up a few things there too. I'm running low on a few herbs, essential oils, and there's a book I wanted to see if I could find." She told her casually. "They wouldn't let me carry my oils in my luggage on the plane when I left London."

Maria pouted. "That's so not fair. Don't they know how hard it is to find some of those?"

Setsuka smiled and looked out the window. "Oh well, it can't be helped. It is the rules after all. I should have really taken it into consideration before I left, and sent it by post." She turned back to Maria. "What did you want to get?"

Maria stared at the little divider that separated the driver from the passengers and back at Setsuka. "Um... I have something special that I've been praying for." She started wringing her hands. "I needed a few more wax candles."

Setsuka eyed her a little and could guess what the girl was thinking, she had done the same after her parents died. She decided that she would try and steer the child away from something like that, so she wouldn't be so devastated and disappointed by the lack of results. Although, she wasn't about to candy-coat it for her. She needed to hear the truth. She sighed inwardly and wondered why Lory and Ruto didn't discourage it. "Maria..." She said quietly and stroked her hair. "You do know that it won't work if she's moved on, don't you?"

Maria nodded and wiped a little tear from her eyes.

"But, that's a good thing. It means she's happy and safe where she's at. She may even be watching over you." She told her softly with a small smile.

"Kind of like a guardian angel..." She confirmed.

Setsuka nodded. "She's probably even spending time with those she missed." Setsuka wanted to believe it. She was trying to, and she had been trying to for a long time, but sometimes a negative thought or two would creep in and poke at her when things got a little too much for her, and reminded her of them.

"Do you really think so?" Maria asked in a small voice, with a little hope in her eyes and voice.

Setsuka looked up in thought. "I do most of the time, but sometimes it's kind of hard when things get rough or something reminds me of my Mummy and Papa." She told her truthfully.

"Me too." Maria told her. "Maybe we can help each other out when it gets too hard."

Setsuka nodded. "I think that would be a wonderful idea."


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11**_

* * *

Well, it was a hopeless endeavor. He had failed the LME auditions spectacularly. Thankfully, he had Akatoki in his pocket. Certainly he'd have to work a little harder to get to the top, but at least he would have his foot in the door and the manager they assigned him was a bombshell. Aki Shoko, she was perfect for the image he was trying to project. Too bad he wasn't able to get with that little fox Setsuka Heel. She would have been perfect for his image. Maybe when he got to the top she would see that he was perfect for her. He smirked at the thought of having that one on his arm. Beautiful, rich, and stylish. Who could ask for more? She was perfect and no matter where she was, he would make sure that she saw only him.

* * *

Maria Takarada was a little overwhelmed with her personal duties she'd taken on. She carried on with her standard, _"protecting Ren-sama from stupid leeches",_ but she'd added on _"protecting Oba Setsu from cootie-infested playboys"_ , to her curriculum. Before now, she'd never realized that men were just as squeamish about spiders, insects and snakes as most women were. Although her Oba Setsu was not. She was fascinating. She didn't seem to be afraid of anything and had even helped her name her new acquisition, Gertrude the Goliath Bird Eating Tarantula. Gertrude would live up to 20 – 25 years and have several thousand children if Maria decided on breeding her later. It was definitely something that made Ren-sama a little squeamish when she'd brought her to LME.

Maria laughed as she thought back on the image of Setsuka with Gertrude perched on her shoulder, walking through LME while holding Maria's hand and talking as if it were an everyday occurrence. Yes, her Oba Setsu was awesome.

"I don't care Danny. I really don't know why you're calling me. I'm in Tokyo right now. Besides, weren't you the one that said I was just like every other girl you've dated?... Look, I really don't care anymore. You said it. You didn't want us to be exclusive anymore and I don't have a problem with it. I've moved on. You have the little bird you wanted to shag and I have other things I want to do." She was silent for a moment listening to him. "Sure, we can still be friends. I never said that we couldn't." She sighed. "Well, I'm sure she's just what you're looking for. She's Japanese and she seemed sweet enough when I met her... No, I will not check her out for you and get back... What the bloody hell? If you want this Kimiko bird, you can find out her information yourself." She rolled her eyes. "Fine..." She groaned. "I'll do it just this once and call you, but don't you ever think of asking me to do something like this again. Of course I'm not jealous." She sighed. "No... The one I've always had eyes for doesn't even remember me." She laughed at his response. "Well, believe it. He forgot about me completely." She nodded at something he'd said. "Alright Love, but don't make this a habit. I find it distasteful that she's actually made you pathetic enough to ask your ex to investigate your future prospects." She laughed. "Okay Love, chat later. Toodles." She hung up her phone and sighed, then smirked. _Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Wanker. Have one of your mates do it for you._

Maria looked up at her inquisitively. "Oba-chan, is everything okay?"

Setsu nodded. "Just a friend that was asking a favor." She glossed it over. His request actually hurt a little, made her feel inadequate. She hated the fact that men could never see her as more than just a friend. Maybe that's why Kuon didn't remember her. Her little ordeal with Danny Bennett or _"Cedric"_ , didn't bother her as much as it would most women; however, she had gotten a little attached to him towards the end.

She'd only really dated him out of curiosity. You know, just to see what it was like to have a boyfriend. She'd heard other girls gushing on about it and wanted to see what the fuss was. If anything, it was boring. She didn't like it. He started treating her differently and it was awkward, especially the snogging. She shivered at the thoughts. She supposed that other girls actually liked it, but it just wasn't her style. It was messy. His hands were everywhere and he was a sloppy kisser. It was nothing like she'd imagined or how they made it look in the movies. She supposed that if they'd both had more experience, it would have been more pleasant, but it was not meant to be. She laughed a little inwardly when she remembered how repulsed Em had been at her description of the numerous events. No, she would wait and hopefully, find one that was a little more pleasant next time.

"Oba-chan? Are you sure everything's alright?" Maria asked a little worried.

Setsuka smiled softly and nodded. "Everything's fine." She assured her. "Should we check out the newcomers?"

Maria smiled mischievously and nodded. "Can we see Ren-sama?"

Setsuka groaned internally and plastered a fake smile on. "Of course. I'm sure he's looking forward to seeing you."

* * *

Kuon was seriously confused. I would appear to him and Yashiro, that Maria's aunt really didn't like him much or was she always that apathetic? He still hadn't heard the little doll mention her aunt's name.

"I'm very sorry, but I don't believe we've been properly introduced." He said as politely as he allowed himself now. "I'm Ren Tsuruga, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The beautiful, stylish blonde's eyebrow twitched in irritation as she cocked it. "Well Mr. Tsuruga, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Maria's unofficially adoptive aunt, Setsuka Heel." She really tried to sound friendly, but it just wasn't coming out how she'd intended. She still sounded a little flat and uninterested.

Kuon looked at her in surprise then schooled his shock. "It's nice to make your acquaintance."

She smirked. Now it was going to get fun. "I'm sure it is. Good to see you _**again**_ Mr. Tsuruga... I think." She paused and turned away. "Maria, I have something I need to do. Ruto is just over there if you need anything. Do you mind if we meet up in say... maybe an hour?" She really needed to walk away before she allowed herself to reveal that she knew him. He was obviously forgetting her for a reason.

Maria looked up at her, then at Ren. "I'll meet you in the new LoveME Section later." She wanted to check out the new initiates and make sure that they weren't there to try and take away Ren. One day she would take her grandfather's place, she did not want entertainer's that weren't serious about what they were doing, especially when it came to working with the people she cared about.

Setsuka nodded in assent, grumbling inwardly. She really hated that room. The color was so garish it was offensive.

The trio watched as the beauty left their company. Maria and Yashiro were staring quietly at Ren, wondering what exactly had happened and Kuon was essentially browbeating himself inwardly in shame. _I really need to fix this._ He groaned internally. He honestly didn't want her hating him as Kuon or Ren. Sure she wasn't supposed to know Ren, but he honestly didn't want to leave the situation like this. The relationship he'd had with her was just as important to him as his with Rick, perhaps a little more. She had actually been his very first and one of his best friends. Some of his most cherished memories had been with her. She had treated him as another human being and although she was younger, she had gone through much of the same as him in regards to family influence. Only she handled it quite differently by embracing it. He felt horrible about how he hadn't been there for her when her parents died.

* * *

When he was fourteen, he knew he had parents that loved him unconditionally. He couldn't fathom ever losing them. She was completely inconsolable. He had actually tried to comfort her, but what could he do? He couldn't come close to relating to her situation, he'd never lost anyone in his life. After experiencing the situation with Rick and being witness to Maria's loss, he knew that Setsuka's response was actually quite normal for a child that had just lost both parents. The only family she had was her dog. He realized that Lory had only been able to pull Maria from the darkness, because he had experience with Setsuka's loss and did the same with her. The only difference being, Setsuka chose to return to England a year later and Maria was too young to make that choice. Maria chose to cling to Ren instead.

He couldn't help, but feel the crushing guilt of not being there when she needed him, not returning her calls or answering her letters. He sighed. "I was such a selfish, spoiled child." He murmured not realizing that it really wouldn't have made a significant difference. He'd had problems at the time too. He probably wouldn't have been much help in her situation. Was it too late to say he was sorry? Could this be his chance to repair at least one relationship from his past?


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 12**_

* * *

Before the tragic loss of her parents, Setsuka Heel had been a very bubbly, affectionate person; however, life had jaded her. Over the years the catty remarks of mean, spoiled children had latched onto the fact that she no longer had her family. The fact that she had money and not parents, had been driven home many times over the years by the envious little beasts. She would have gladly traded all her riches for just a bit more time with her Mum and Dad, sadly it wasn't in the cards. Fortunately she had Lory Takarada on her side, the LoveMon himself as she had dubbed him when she was 12, and the pain of the loss was slowly ebbing away. She was constantly reminded of the bliss-filled short time she'd shared with them.

Now at almost 16 years old, the old personality was creeping back into her stoic nature. Some would say that time was healing her, but the truth was Maria had played a large part in it. She felt more relaxed around her, and whether she would admit it or not, just seeing Kuon and hearing his voice almost daily was helping too. They really hadn't had the opportunity to sit down together and have that conversation that he'd wanted, due to the fact both were very busy and simply couldn't find the time, though it would happen soon.

"Oba Setsu, what are you doing?" Maria asked as she watched her aunt flipping through a large album-like book and writing things down on a notepad next to it.

Setsu looked up. "I'm sorry Maria, what was your question?" She asked distractedly.

Maria sat down next to her. "I was wondering what you were doing."

Setsuka closed up the book and sighed. "I'm going through the spring collection that was sent over for me to review. Papa thinks I should start helping to run the companies that Mummy and Daddy left for me. These are the models I picked out a couple of weeks ago. I'm just going over the look I want to showcase for the spring."

"Can I see?" Maria asked excitedly.

Setsuka smiled softly and nodded as she opened up the large collection of photos.

Maria gasped and pointed to a particular photo. "You picked Ren-sama?"

She nodded. "He fits the look well. I think I'll be using these two of him and this one with the blonde model in their evening wear for Secrets. I'm almost finished here. I just need to go over the stills for Cygne Blanc, then read and sign off on a couple of proposals for Pinnacle Studios. Although, I may veto one of them. It doesn't seem as though it will be a very good idea to make that one." She looked up in thought. "I should probably double check the synopsis first before I make a final decision."

Lory had suggested almost two years ago that she start studying to take over her minimal duties in the companies she owned. The fact that she had an excellent intuition and she was a quick study, had helped catapult her into being the youngest entertainment executive to date, with Lory guiding her and being her business proxy.

She had kept herself quite busy with modeling, acting, schoolwork, and her business transactions. She never really had time to think too long on her parents or just enjoy being a goofy teenager. Certainly, she occasionally had her moments with Emily, but only days after being in Japan, Emily was promptly sent back to school in England, due to the fact that she couldn't resist partying. Mercifully enough, it was her father that had caught her coming home drunk and not the police. It had been a night when Setsuka was unable to join her and had to decline. She had been just too busy to make good on Emily's invitation she had extended when they had first stepped foot on Japanese soil. Inwardly, she wasn't sure if she had done that on purpose or not.

* * *

He had to admit, the manager that they assigned to him was perfect for his image. All the right things, in all the right places and not too beautiful. He certainly didn't want her taking away from his limelight or driving away his potential fans because she was too pretty. That just wouldn't do. He had thought that going with Akatoki would make it such a grind getting to the top, but they had already started planning out so many things for him. All he really had to do is write and play the music. Shoko-san, and his little maid that he brought with him would do the rest; after all, he couldn't be bothered with menial things like scheduling, cooking, and cleaning.

He was actually a little shocked that his parents hadn't sent the entire police force out to look for him when he left, but he supposed that having Manami-chan and Uncle Ken'Ichi in Tokyo with him had eased their fears; although, he suspected that he would need to send Manami back soon. She was starting to get a little too clingy and was hinting on taking their "relationship" up another level. It was certainly something he did not have planned or really want. He didn't need to be tied down to such an unappealing girl. It would be bad for his image if anyone ever found out that he was living with one of nakai from his parent's ryokan and such a plain, boring one at that.

* * *

Kuon was still a little beside himself regarding his childhood friend. He hadn't been able to eke out the time to talk with her and make things right. The guilt he was suffering was almost overwhelming, but he was hiding it well. Honestly? He really didn't know what he was going to say to her. Did she really even recognize him or was it that she just didn't like Ren Tsuruga? That was actually a distinct possibility that really hadn't crossed his mind, until the moment in the hall when she'd left Maria with him a couple of weeks ago. A possibility that actually shocked his manager and Maria-chan.

Another more grim thought had also crossed his mind. What if she hated him for being just another person that had left her alone to deal with the hard parts of life by herself? He thought back on the woman she'd thought was her mother when she was six and how devastated she'd been. He then compared himself to that, for not staying in contact with her or doing anything to alleviate her grief when her parents died. He had been so steeped in his own dilemmas and the thoughts of what he would feel if the same had happened to him. He honestly didn't know how to comfort her in such a situation. He'd overheard his parents talking about how tragic it was that Sean and Lilly had miraculously found their biological daughter, only to be ripped away less than four years later. Life really hadn't been fair to Setsuka or Maria. No wonder they were almost like two peas in a pod.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13**_

* * *

She had to admit, he did have talent and he was kind of cute. Sure, he was a self-absorbed, arrogant, preening peacock, but what the heck? It was just for publicity and she wanted to see if he really was the little boy she'd left behind when she was younger, not that she was ever going to tell him she'd been Kyoko-chan, once upon a time. So, after many protests, a solid hour of pouting, and a smidgen of pleading, all by Lory of course, she was allowed to go on her _"information gathering date"_.

She honestly didn't like what she'd found. Sadly he was like every other spoiled little prince that was never told no. She was horrified when his _"girlfriend"_ approached them and he introduced the poor girl like she was some sort of servant. He didn't really come out and say it that bluntly, but she knew at some point he was going to slip and the poor girl would be on the other end of his barbed snobbery.

Thankfully when she ended their _"date"_ , Ruto had been their chaperon. She had seen that familiar look in his eyes, she'd experienced it a few times with boys that wanted to be _"friends"_ with her. He wanted her for her image and her money. She wasn't stupid and she had certainly experienced enough without her parents or Lory, to know how something unwanted could happen at the end of the evening. She would not be anyone's toy and she was most definitely not the naive little girl she was even two years ago.

"So, when can I see you again?" He was really bad at this. He'd never had to go after a girl, they had always come to him for attention. This one was very unique and required special attention if he wanted this little arm-candy.

"I'm so sorry, Fuwa-san. I just really don't have the time to be anything more than just friends." She wanted to let him down easier than she would have normally, due to the fact that the entertainment industry in Japan was vastly different than the one in England. Far more puritanical, she didn't need her reputation thrown into the gutter, because he didn't get the results he'd planned on. "I have far too much work to do at the moment."

"Don't you have someone that helps you with all of that? Like a manager or assistant?" He really wanted this to work. She could really boost his image.

She gave him a fake smile that anyone that knew her, could see through. "I do, but they can't make the decisions I'll need to make in London, Paris or, Milan. I'm sorry, I just wouldn't be able to give the attention that's needed in a relationship. I'd much rather focus on my career right now. Which I'm sure you of all people can understand." She told him, reminding him of a television interview he'd had recently, where he'd said almost the exact same thing.

She really didn't regret going out with him. It was actually kind of funny for her that he didn't recognize her from that first time they'd met and the fact that Papa Lory actually allowed it was a bit of a shock too. She supposed it was because she really had no romantic interest in him at all. Her interests were more from a purely clinical standpoint. She wanted to see if he'd changed, if he really was Sho-chan, and just as pointed out before, it was only a publicity get-together with Ruto tagging along.

Sho sighed a little from having his own philosophy thrown back at him. "I suppose I can understand. If you change your mind, let me know." He smirked a little and moved towards her.

She casually dodged, what she knew was going to be a stolen kiss, making it look like she wasn't aware of what he'd intended to do. Ruto saw and stiffened, then smiled at her successful avoidance of the little predator. At the end of the date, he was only able to walk away with the memory of having dinner with Setsuka Heel and a handshake.

* * *

She absolutely loved her private school in Japan. Papa Lory had enrolled her in a school for entertainers and children that couldn't attend on a regular schedule. What she didn't like at the moment was sitting silently in Papa Lory's private jet, trying to concentrate on her homework as _"Ren"_ paced back and forth with his distracting blond hair and green eyes. She knew he'd been irritated with Lory the moment he stepped on the plane and saw her in her black hair and gold eyes. She was going to try and sport the look while she was overseas. Unfortunately, she knew that Kuon had no intention of going au naturel during their little excursion. Hers would last for a little over two months while she was on tour. His would only be the two weeks of the London fashion show.

She sighed. If she didn't do or say something soon, he was going to drive her insane. She slammed her Japanese History book shut. "Kuon... Sit down. Don't get your knickers in a twist. I've known it was you the moment I saw you at LME."

He looked at her a little shocked. He had been wanting to clear things up, but certainly not like this. He sat on the seat across from her and sighed tiredly. "Setsu... I'm sorry."

She gave him a confused look. "About?"

He glanced up at her a little shocked. Wasn't that what she was angry about? The fact that he wasn't there for her when her parents died? The fact that he had completely blown her off for the past six years? Was she toying with him? Did she want to watch him squirm? He sighed once again and stared out the window at the clouds. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." He finally said.

She shook her head and waved it off. "That never really bothered me. We were both too young to do anything about it." She told him and leaned back in her seat with her tea.

He looked at her a little perplexed. "Why have you been angry with me then?" Yes, that was the million dollar question for him, wasn't it?

She rolled her eyes. "The fact that you weren't there never really bothered me, Kuon. I'm fully aware that you had things going on that were more important. It took some time, but I'm over it. I understand that you're older and didn't want to associate with a little girl. I have my life now and you have..." She waved her hand up and down, indicating his appearance. "You have whatever this is. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. It's none of my business."

"That's not..." He started and they were interrupted by her phone pinging a text message.

She held up her phone and skimmed over it. She rolled her eyes and groaned a little. "He's really not going to give up, is he?" She murmured to herself in a voice that Kuon could barely hear.

His brow furrowed in irritation at being cut off. "Who's not going to give up?" He asked.

She glanced up and shook her head. "Some guy I went out with last Friday. Not important."

He didn't know why, but it really annoyed him. The thought of her dating anyone just didn't fit with the adorable, sweet image of her, he still had trapped in his mind. The sweet little raven-haired girl, dressed in a Little Mermaid bikini, splashing in the water on the beaches of the French Riviera.

Even with the lengthy flight to London, she never really gave him the opportunity to explain himself. She was always buried in her schoolwork, on the computer chatting with one designer or another, sleeping, or reading proposals and scripts. He couldn't help, but wonder why Lory was giving her so much work to do. He never realized that all of this was something she had gladly taken on by herself and Lory had actually tried to get her to ease up on the workload. Certainly he wanted her to become familiar with it, but he never intended for her to take on so much.

Kuon was a little more than shocked when he noticed his stills from his latest photo-shoot in her possession as she dozed off. He seriously wondered what exactly she was doing with them, and how she had gotten them. Then he saw the sticky note on one, with a memo from the photographer to the CEO of Secrets. The line: _Attn: Setsuka Heel; CC: Lory Takarada_. There were a couple of other names that had been sent copies, but it was hers that shocked him the most.

The only thing he could think of the from revelation was, here he was still trying to separate himself from his family and their name, and she was doing everything she could to hang onto hers. She was embracing the Heel name and legacy. He was hiding the fact that he was a Hizuri. The rest of the flight was spent with him wondering just exactly what he was really doing, and would he ever be able to carve out a place for himself without being judged as his father's son.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter 14**_

* * *

This was getting seriously frustrating. How was he supposed to impress the girl if she wasn't even in Tokyo to witness his greatness? Not that she didn't tell him during their date that she would be in Europe for almost three months. It was miserable, all he had around to play with was Poochie, and she was just entirely too clingy and demanding. He didn't need a girl like that. He'd had all of those girls in Kyoto and the one he'd sent back for that, and it was annoying after so many years of it. He wanted an independent girl like Setsuka by his side or at least under him. He smirked at that dirty little thought. Weren't Western girls supposed to be a little more generous with their affections?

He honestly didn't think he'd sent her too many text messages. Thirty-seven wasn't too many, was it? Well maybe it was, and he should have realized it when her final message to him was " _ **SOD OFF YOU STUPID GIT!**_ " and she blocked his, and Shoko-san's numbers. Maybe he should just send her flowers as an apology. Then again, maybe not.

* * *

"Bloody hell, that bloke's annoying!" She groused in a very thick accent as she blocked his phone number, and the other number he'd decided to send another text from _(Shoko-san's phone)_.

Kuon looked up at her and furrowed his brow. "Something wrong Setsu?" This past couple of months, he realized that it took quite a bit to irritate the girl sitting in front of him. Anyone could see that just from observation.

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing I can't handle... _With a restraining order._ " She'd said the last part inaudibly. "Just a gobby ponce that doesn't know what _"Piss Off"_ means." She commented casually as she filed the last few documents she'd been going over during their flight.

They'd only a few hours left before their plane was to land. He would be meeting with Ten, and she would be picked up by Maggie and Sebastian. It had been nearly a year since she'd seen them last and she'd missed them terribly. It wasn't like she didn't wish to live with Lory, in the case of caregivers, her heart was divided in many different ways. Thankfully Lory understood this, and had no objections with her staying with them for the little time she would be there. He had faith that they would take good care of her.

"If they bother you too much, you should tell Uncle Lory." _Wow, I haven't called him that in awhile._ He marveled at how relaxed he felt around her, even if they hadn't really talked in years.

She snorted cutely. "Right, an 'ave 'im give me the _"I told you so"_ speech. No thank ya."

He gave her a confused look. "Why would he do that?"

She groaned a little. "I thought I knew the guy an wanted ta see if he was still the same spoiled plonker I knew as a kid."

He raised an eyebrow. Oh yes, he knew exactly who she was talking about. He furrowed his brow and wasn't quite sure why it bothered him so much. "You went on a date with _"Sho-chan"_?" He mumbled the question.

She let out a sharp laugh. "Wow, aven't heard 'at in a time or two. If ya could call it a date. I guess it was. He's a right fit bloke, but not much in the way of personality. Been aroun' too many lads like 'im. Just not my cup of tea. He was a complete chav and had nothin', but money and shaggin' on 'is mind. Like all the rest, tryin' ta get inta my knickers." She finished and took a sip of her tea. She seemed calm and not bothered, but she had the slightest little twitch near her cute little ear and her accent was very thick.

Kuon had noticed that when something truly bothered her, her accent grew thicker and thicker. He almost couldn't understand a word she'd said to him towards the end, but he pretty much got the gist of it. The guy had behaved like an ass, was obvious about what he wanted, and she was a little more than irritated, to say the least. For a brief moment he really wanted to be in front of the said ass she was talking about, just so he could let loose a few of his pent up frustrations that had accumulated over the years. "You really should tell Uncle Lory. If he's calling that much." He gestured towards her phone, referring to the almost endless pings from the text messages she'd received throughout their flight. "You may need to change your number. He could turn out to be a stalker or something." He warned.

She sighed a little defeatedly and rolled her eyes a bit. "I suppose you're right." Her speech was now back to normal. "I just really hate the thought of having to contact everyone with the new number."

He could relate to her dilemma. He'd had a similar problem last year with Kimiko Morizumi. Somehow, the girl had gotten his number, would not stop sending text messages, and calling him at all hours of the day and night. Thankfully, Yashiro had most of his contacts and he really only had to give the new information to Nick, and a few others. He honestly wasn't sure how many she would have, being a teen-aged girl and all.

"So... You work for Secrets, doing paperwork for Uncle Lory?" He asked casually to change the subject to something a little less about fangirls and stalkers.

She took another sip of her tea and smiled. She shook her head. "No... He's been taking care of it for me since Mummy and Daddy passed. I took over last year." She gave him a slight look of amusement. "Didn't you wonder why I was going to be on the flight with you this time?"

He ran his hand through his hair and gave her a sheepish look. "Actually, I thought he was just playing another one of his little games with us. He keeps telling me how boring I am, because I don't really have any scandals for him to deal with."

She snorted cutely. "He's constantly trying to get me to date, but when I finally do he behaves as if I've told him to get out of my life." She sighed and shook her head.

"He sees you as his own daughter, Setsu. Can you really blame him?" He commented as he sipped his own drink. It felt so nice just to carry on a conversation with her, like they used to. He glanced at her a little worriedly. "You know... I really am sorry for not being there when you needed someone." He apologized again.

She gave him a small, understanding smile. "It's okay, Kuon. We were both very young and it was a really bad time for both of us. I was just a little irritated when I saw you in LME and you didn't recognize me, but I suppose we hadn't met in a long time and we've both changed considerably." She pondered out loud.

He nodded in agreement. He couldn't have agreed more, just looking at her. "I suppose I always associated you with your golden eyes and silky black hair." He told her not really realizing how flirtatious it had sounded.

Setsuka glanced at him and fought off a little bit of a blush. " _I haven't worn my hair like this for a long time, and I only remove my contacts for travel abroad._ " She murmured a little sadly with her brow furrowed.

He smiled softly. "Sorry, I just think it suits you. I mean, you look nice with the blonde too, but the black hair says that you're Setsuka to me."

She glanced up at him and giggled a little, feeling better from the explanation. "My, aren't you the smoothie? I appreciate the opinion and will take it into consideration."

He groaned a little. "I really didn't mean for it to come out that way." He groaned again. "Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut before I say something else really stupid."

She shrugged a little, kind of feeling like a bucket of ice was thrown on her. _He wasn't flirting after all. Oh well._ "Not to worry Kuon, I know what you meant. You see me as little Setsuka Heel. The little sister."

For a brief moment he thought he'd seen something flash in her eyes, almost as if she felt a little wounded by her own words and for some reason, he definitely felt a little indefinable stab in his chest. He shook his head. _"No, I wouldn't say little sister exactly..."_ He muttered. He really didn't like the idea of having to keep her as a little sister, and she was certain that she didn't want him for a brother. It would make things entirely too complicated. She'd never seen him as a brother type. He had always been something else, something more. At one point he'd been her prince of the fairies when she was small, but he gradually became best friend and someone that understood her, knew her before she was Setsuka Heel, knew her when she was insignificant little Kyoko-chan. A small tear came unbidden to her eyes and quietly rolled down her cheek, without her notice from the thoughts.

Kuon's brow furrowed. "Setsu? I-I'm sorry." He quickly apologized. "I just feel you're more than just a sister." He tried to explain and she looked at him with confusion. He wiped the salty little gem from her cheek. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Her look softened and she shook her head. "No, I... I um, I didn't even realize. It was nothing for you to apologize for. I'll be fine, Kuon. Really." She told him as she pulled a tissue, and compact from her bag and tidied her makeup.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15**_

* * *

She wasn't really sure what had bothered her so much about Kuon thinking of her as _just a little sister_ or nothing more than _just his little friend_. All she knew was, that it kind of hit a sore spot on her. She certainly wasn't in love with him or had a crush on him. Not that she would admit something like that even if she was. That was something she was not going to allow into her life ever again. She was not going to allow anyone get that close to her. She was convinced that if she did, they would be quickly taken away or leave her. It was the primary reason she never really allowed herself to get too attached to Lory or any of the other people that could be considered "family". Well, maybe Maria had been the exception.

"Setsuka! I'm so glad you were able to make it." The frazzled brunette, with the clipboard rushed to her.

Setsu sighed and gave her a smile. "Joanie, calm down. I just got here." She giggled. "What's wrong?"

"The model for Spring Design Set 4a is out with the Spanish Flu. We don't have a replacement." She stammered nervously.

Setsuka shook her head. "That's fine... I suppose I could fill in. We do have similar measurements." She told her as she examined the information in her tablet computer.

Joanie sighed in relief, but then realized a small problem with that. "Are you sure you don't have a problem changing your hair for it? The design was meant for a ginger."

Setsuka smiled with a cheeky grin. "I'm up for a little change. Where's Randal?"

"He's in with Gizzell right now, but he'll be done blowing her out in about five minutes." She paused a little nervous. "Do you want me to give him a head's up?"

Setsuka shook her head. "No, I'll let him know. You go check on Set's Two and Five. I'll see you in a couple of hours. If you need me, I'll be in with Randal, getting ready."

Joanie nodded and quickly left. Setsuka sighed, she'd only done a show once before, so she knew she could do it, but she wasn't exactly comfortable without someone to focus her attention on when she walked. Last time she'd had Danny and Em to focus on. She gathered her courage, straightened herself, and knocked on the door of the room Randal was using as a salon.

A few hours later she would emerge with a light reddish blonde colored hair that Randal had called light chestnut. She had thought to ask him to cut it short, but he absolutely refused. He told her that Jelly Woods would have his head if he did and Setsuka somewhat agreed with him and left the length. If she was going to make that drastic of a change she would have Mum do it for her once she got back to Japan.

* * *

 _Did she block my number? She blocked my number! What the heck? Who the hell did she think she was blocking me like that? I'm Sho Fuwa, the next biggest idol of Japan!_ He was only a few months into his fledgling career and he had already made it into the top 5 on the charts! He was steadily climbing up the most wanted bachelor in Japan polls, too. How could she block him like that? Did she not know how privileged she should feel just to have him express a little bit of interest in her? What is wrong with her? He has women falling all over him left and right! They're throwing their panties at him for Chrissake! Even his freaking manager is all over him! How could she not see what she was so lucky to have him offering to her!

"Sho! Are you ready to go?" Aki Shoko barked at him, trying to get his attention. "You're interview is in 45 minutes and it takes at least 30 to get to the studio in noon traffic." She explained as he languidly pulled himself from the sofa in her office.

"Yeah, yeah... I'm coming." He groused as he pocketed the phone he'd been so diligently eying for the past hour.

Aki sighed and shook her head. _Typical teen-aged boy._ "Sho, why don't you just send her flowers? I'm sure Mimori-chan would appreciate anything you sent to her."

Sho scowled. "Why would I send anything to Poochie?" He was disgusted at the thought.

Aki gave him a surprised look. "Oh, I just thought that was who you were trying to reach. She seemed really upset that you went on that publicity date with Heel-chan. Unless... Is it Heel-chan you're trying to reach?" She asked a little slyly in the end.

Sho gave her an unreadable, blank look and quickly schooled it. "She still doesn't see how good she's got it with me. I just wanted to keep myself fresh in her memory while she's away."

Aki sighed inwardly. _That's called stalking._ She thought. "Then you should probably be sending her flowers, not calling her..." She looked at her call history, from when he'd borrowed her phone. "Hmm, 14 times or more." She held up the screen so he could see.

He groaned a little. "She's on a flight. We got disconnected."

 _You keep telling yourself that._ She commented inwardly, while listening to his other excuses for the multiple phone calls to the entertainment heiress. She sighed. "Sho, transoceanic flights do not last days. I don't think she's interested." She told him as gently as possible.

"She's just busy, and forgot to turn on her phone." He reasoned.

Aki rolled her eyes as she turned away from him to lead him out of the room and to the parking garage. "Whatever you say Sho. Just make sure that she doesn't see it as stalking. It would look very bad for you. She's a bigger name in entertainment than you think. She or Lory Takarada could have you blacklisted before you even set foot out of Tokyo for your first National Tour." She warned.

He scoffed. "There's not a woman alive that would do that to me," He smirked, then swatted her on her ass. "and you know it."

Aki Shoko blushed. She had to admit, she had yet to meet a girl or a woman that could turn away Sho. Perhaps he was right and Setsuka Heel had just turned off her phone. She was a busy girl, and he had mentioned that she didn't have an assistant or manager. She nodded inwardly. _That had to be it._

* * *

Kuon stood as still as a statue as he tried to recover from the shock the little red-head gave him from her change. He had to admit, it looked good on her. Was there any hair color that didn't?

"Change the shirt. I don't like the color for that suit." She told the wardrobe coordinator. "I want that pair of sunglasses too." She pointed to a pair that had a reddish-gold tint to them. She looked up at Kuon. "Too bad you don't have green eyes." She smirked cheekily and walked over to the next model for inspection.

" _Too bad you don't have gold."_ He mumbled back, grousing as he removed his jacket, and prepared to put on the red silk shirt the assistant handed to him. She had decided to go back to her steely-blue contacts for the duration of her stay. The gold was getting a little too overwhelming for her as her days in London rolled by. He had a hunch as to why she was wearing the contacts, and he was pretty sure she would understand his reasoning behind his own, but he just wasn't ready to divulge that kind of information to anyone just yet, and he knew she was only teasing him. He would take it as it was meant, and not be offended by her comment.

"Salut ma belle, je ne t'ai pas vu depuis un moment." _(Hi beautiful, haven't seen you in awhile.)_ Kuon heard the familiar male voice purr, and rolled his eyes at the flirt.

He then heard a familiar giggle, making his blood go cold. "Nicky, tu flirtes. C'est bon de te voir. Je suis content que vous ayez décidé d'être l'un de mes modèles pour le spectacle." _(Nicky, you flirt. It's good to see you. I'm glad you decided to be one of my models for the show.)_ Kuon wasn't sure why, but hearing the tone of voice that was being volleyed back and forth between the pair, made him want to punch his friend Nick and carry her out of there. _Were they actually flirting with each other?_ He groaned a little inwardly, remembering that _"Nicky"_ (He tossed in a little sarcastic lilt mentally at his friend's name.) was only a year older than Setsuka.

He glanced in their direction as he finished dressing and noticed as Setsu walked away. _Did she always walk like that?_ He asked himself as he watched her cute, well-shaped ass sway with her perfect hips. He felt his ears heat up and quickly looked away, to see Nick smirk at him with mischief in his eyes, then give him a nod of acknowledgment. Kuon groaned a little mentally and scolded himself for even looking. _She's too young, and you don't see her in that way. You have work to do Hizuri. Don't get distracted._


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chapter 16**_

* * *

For the two weeks that he was in London, Kuon felt the urge to keep an eye on Setsuka. Being one of the models for Secrets, he was able to stay close without looking suspicious for the first few days; however, after that he could only watch her from a distance inconspicuously. Irritatingly enough, Nick had an excuse to follow her around like a male in rut during mating season, he had volunteered to be one of her main models. Kuon had the responsibility to fulfill his regular contract with R'Mandy. Nick only had a couple of shows to do with them this time, which left Kuon having to watch from a professional distance as Nick made his attempts at asking her to dinner, as he gave her one orange rose _every... single... stinking... day_ , and as he flirted with her shamelessly.

Kuon wasn't exactly sure why, but Nick's behavior irritated the living hell out of him and made him want to put his fist through his friend's pretty face. So, in order to prevent his manager from being concerned with him and reporting everything back to Lory, as he was known to do, he adopted a "Grin and Bear It" philosophy; although, that probably made things a tad worse.

* * *

Unfortunately or fortunately for Yukihito Yashiro, he had never known until the London Fashion Week, that a smile could be so incredibly ominous looking. Thankfully Ren's co-workers, and superiors didn't realize the meaning behind it. Yukihito wasn't even sure that he did; however, he noticed that Setsuka Heel wasn't exactly moved in the anticipated way from it. Yukihito hadn't even really noticed the difference from that smile until then. He'd always thought that it was a little extra brilliant, and something that just attracted more women to him without realizing it. _**No, no, no, no.**_.. that was not the case at all. He was quickly educated that this particular smile was not a happy one, on this trip. He also discovered that revealing _"The Many Faces of Ren"_ came with a steep learning curve, and he was schooled in most of them whenever Ren was around a particular little strawberry-blonde and her French "puppy", through side-glances and inconspicuous observances, on Ren's part.

When Yukihito had first arrived in London, the identity of the little redhead had not even crossed his mind. Had he not asked Ren who the female was, it would have taken him days of inquiry to discover her identity. She seemed to change with her makeup and hair color like a dazzling little chameleon. The thing that perplexed him the most, had been Ren's demeanor during the entire ordeal. He'd had female models dropping left and right with the most brilliant dazzling smile every time he spoke to his friend Nick or he saw him around Setsuka. It was something strange that Yukihito had never witnessed with him. He likened it to watching a solar eclipse twice in one day.

He realized the meaning of that particular smile when said female had finally found a small break a few days into Yukihito's stay, to greet him.

"Welcome to London, Yashiro-san. I apologize for not stopping by sooner." She bowed, and greeted him in traditional Japanese fashion. That saw a new smile on Ren's face. It was gentle and he honestly looked his age.

Yashiro returned her greeting. "It's nice to see you Setsuka-chan. I didn't know you'd be here. Do you have a contract with one of the designers for modeling?"

She giggled and shook her head. "Did Papa-Lory not tell you?"

He gave her a confused look and Ren decided to clear things up for him. "Yashiro-san, she owns Secrets. She's here to oversee their part in the shows these next two weeks." He explained.

That's basically how most of the conversation went, light and cordial... at least until Nick decided to greet Yashiro and try and assert his dominance by snaking an arm around Setsuka.

Setsuka cocked an eyebrow and gave the young buck a scathing glare. She was about to scold him and tell him to go back to wherever it was that he'd come from, but Ren shot him the most deceptively brilliant smile that sent shivers down both Yukihito's and Setsuka's backs.

"Razve vy ne dolzhny boltat' s odnim iz pomoshchnikov garderoba?" _(Shouldn't you be off chatting up one of the wardrobe assistants?)_ Ren asked Nick in Russian, startling his three companions and if Yukihito and Setsuka weren't mistaken, he sounded a bit irritated. They didn't need to know Russian, to feel the saccharine venom that question was dripping in.

Nick removed his arm from around Setsuka's waist. "Well Mon Amour, I suppose Ren is correct. I really should be getting back to work." He announced in his thick French accent, cleared his throat and shot Ren a knowing, yet nervous smile. "Jusqu'à plus tard." _(Until later.)_ He had left in a hurry, almost as if he was a rabbit being hunted by a large predator.

* * *

To be perfectly honest, deep down Setsuka knew what was going on, but chose to ignore it. Kuon had implied himself, that he didn't see her that way, but the thought of him being jealous of Nick's behavior those two weeks persisted in lurking in the back of her mind, disguised as being nothing near what it actually was.

Mercifully, the final two days of Kuon's stay in London had mellowed out, due to the fact that the show had ended, Nick had jetted off to Australia for a photo-shoot, and Yashiro-san had to go back to Tokyo to discuss a project that Kuon was being considered for by Director Seiji Shingai in coordination with Papa-Lory. Some little song-bird's acting debut or something like that.

Her next few weeks would be spent on school and work. No distractions like Kuon were needed nor, welcomed. The Fuwa boy had found, yet another phone number to dial her from, leaving an endless string of irritating, pathetic messages. She had to admit, he was very persistent, disturbingly so. It was time to call Papa, let him know about the little pest and diligently listen to the hour-long lecture that would accompany such an admission. In the end, only Ren, Maggie, Sebastian, Lory, Ruto, Maria, and Emily would have her new phone number. For the time being, her business contacts would communicate through Lory, and Ruto, and for some strange, irritating reason Ruto would be joining her in Italy as her manager/assistant. Actually, she'd rather refer to him as her nanny and she did not want nor, need a nanny. She was 16 years old, a business mogul, and a well traveled person for her age. The idea of her needing a nanny was insulting.

Lory purposefully failed to tell her the reason behind his actions. Apparently rumors had started circulating in Tokyo about her and Fuwa's relationship and Lory had a very strong instinct on where those particular rumors had originated. Most definitely from Fuwa's camp. They were mostly innocuous, but he, his buxom manager, and his agency refused to refute any of them, due to the fact that they favored him and boosted his image to be associated with such a successful female.

Lory was informed by his legal department, that they really couldn't do anything about the rumors. The tabloids weren't revealing their sources, and Fuwa's people weren't openly or actively promoting the lies, at least not in an obvious way. The only thing that Lory could actually do is answer truthfully when asked, and release a statement that clarified the "non-relationship" the two teens had. He couldn't tell them that he knew for a fact, that Fuwa was a little punk that was using his one date, and Setsuka's status to inflate his own image. He couldn't reveal the fact that Fuwa had brought a 14 almost 15 year-old girl, from his parents ryokan with him from Kyoto, to take care of him. He couldn't tell the world that the boy had lived with his manager for almost a year while said girl toiled away at three jobs, then he sent her back home when he was done with her.

The brass testicles on this boy had astounded him. He was disgusted and incensed that he didn't fight harder to prevent her from having any connection to this boy whatsoever. Needless to say, he was salivating at the prospect that one day, that boy would slip up and Lory would put him in a vice. For now, Lory would make sure that the little cockroach didn't destroy his goddaughter's reputation in Japan, and maybe put a few obstacles in his path. He smirked at the thought as his pen scribbled on the little heart-shaped pad.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter 17**_

* * *

"In a phone interview with Heel-san, her relationship with Sho Fuwa was clarified." The entertainment news anchor announced.

"Oh no, of course not. I have no interest in being in a romantic relationship at the moment. I'm focusing on my professional life. I have too much in my schedule to properly dedicate myself to another. It wouldn't be fair to anyone that dated me." She told the phone interviewer.

"So are you saying that if you did have the time to dedicate, you would pick Fuwa-san?" The interviewer tried to back her into a corner.

Setsuka's giggle lilted through the phone line. "No, no... I'm very sorry, but I would never be able to see Fuwa-san as anything more than just a friend. I'm sure there are many nice girls out there that would be more than happy to date him, but I just don't have the time and with the way my life is, I would need someone that would be able to work around my schedule and be able to travel freely." Implying that she wanted someone that didn't need permission to leave the country, someone older and more mature.

"Someone older? More mature?" The interviewer pressed.

She wanted to kick herself for even allowing this, but if it got him off her back she would come out and say it. "I suppose so. I would prefer someone that understands the inner workings of the Industry, and doesn't have a problem with my schedule. Someone that understands the demands it places on my professional and personal life." She explained.

"Wow Heel-san, there really aren't very many boys that would understand something like that, that are your age." The interviewer commented.

"Indeed not. I suppose I would probably need someone a bit older and more mature. Someone that understands that there is more to life than just dating." Setsuka agreed casually.

The interviewer went on to go into more depth on exactly what Setsuka did professionally, her acting, modeling, running a business, and how she would be graduating school early. She did steer away from questions about her parents, and other relations. They were told that subject would cause the phone interview to end immediately.

* * *

Lory groaned a little while he listened to her interview. Why did she have to be more boring than Ren, when it came to matters of the heart? Those two seemed to be two peas in a pod, when it came to things like that. He did chuckle a little when she implied that she could never date a boy like Fuwa, due to his immaturity. _That had to sting._

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Kuon was sitting down to his evening meal and drinking a glass of water, thankfully, when he heard Setsuka's voice come from his television. _Wow, she is pissed._ He thought. He definitely didn't want to be in Fuwa's shoes, ever.

 _{"Indeed not. I suppose I would probably need someone a bit older and more mature. Someone that understands that there is more to life than just dating."_ Her British accent was peeking through her Japanese. _}_

"Ouch..." Kuon chuckled, and was thankful he didn't have a mouth full of food or drink when he heard her words. "That had to hurt." Fuwa was not going to be pleased with that one. Kuon had heard the rumors around about the boy, and that's exactly what he was... a boy. A boy that draped himself on every female he'd encountered, and behaved like he was a pampered little prince before his interviews. It sickened Kuon to think that some females were actually attracted to that, and seemed to fawn over him, encouraging the behavior.

 _At least there's one that doesn't._ Kuon snickered, thinking of Setsu. He wasn't sure why, but the thought pleased him more than he thought it should.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Sho was livid, and Aki Shoko was beside herself. She knew her charge could be a little childish, but this was bordering on infantile. She had a feeling that Setsuka Heel was going to be a problem or at least, Sho would be a problem for Setsuka Heel. The girl obviously grew up in the Industry and knew how to work a journalist to her full advantage. By the end of the interview, one could say that she had the tabloid queen eating out of her hand and making Sho look more like the "Little Brother" type, than the "Hot Guy I Want To Keep Me Warm At Night" type. What made things worse, was the girl was part of Sho's demographic. She really hoped that Sho could control himself a little better than he had been or he would definitely take a hit.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

He was pissed! _What the hell is wrong with her? Aren't guys her thing?_ He was perfect. He had women of all ages falling at his feet. Was it because he wasn't famous enough or have enough money?

He took her statements as a challenge. He would definitely show her a mature image or at least, what he thought to be one.

It was time to make some changes. Time to move on to a more cool image. Time to separate himself from the old Sho Fuwa. No more sweets, puddings included in that. No more comedy shows, no one would see him laughing like that anymore. The most they would get out of him, would be a reserved chuckle and the wide, bright smile would be the sexy smirk he'd been practicing in the mirror for the past few months. _If Setsuka Heel wants mature image, she will see mature image_. He thought, totally disregarding the fact that maturity was more than just what was portrayed on the outside. Sho had a million miles to go before he had the maturity that Setsuka Heel required of her "perfect" man.

* * *

She sighed as she took in her second lecture of the day. The first being from Ruto, regarding the imbecile that kept finding ways to contact her before she had her number changed, and the second being from Lory, regarding the same thing, her phone interview, and her not being completely vague on the subject.

She explained to them both that she wanted to rid herself of that annoying parasite before he got any worse. _As if it could get any worse at this point._ She thought as she scrolled through his thoughts on her message to him via the media about him being so not her type it was laughable. It wasn't like she was some desperate, little love-sick fangirl. She didn't even like his music, and she certainly didn't like him. He was far too obvious with his intentions.

Lory sighed over the phone. "Look Sweetie, I know how you feel about all of this. However, you are leaving an open invitation to older men to date you. Not only that, Fuwa-san has actually made obvious changes to his image to accommodate your tastes or so it seems. What do you plan on saying when you're asked about that?" He asked a little entertained by the whole situation.

She groaned a little. "I don't know, I suppose I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it." She sighed out.

Lory chuckled. "Well, you may have to cross that bridge when you get home next week, because rumors are already going around about his changes, and what you might think of them. I'll do everything I can to ease the damage, but as you know, here in Japan, the fans pick for you whether you like it or not."

She growled a little. "I refuse to be told who I can, and cannot date because of some popularity poll or because his little sycophantic fans want to dip their dirty little fingers into my life and matchmake me with that cockroach. I'd rather live like a nun than be told who I can fall in love with." Her accent was very thick and most wouldn't have been able to understand a word she'd said, but Lory, and those close to her understood clearly.

Lory sighed. "I know Poppet. I know exactly what you mean. Just, next time they ask, give them a no comment, and tell them to contact me personally. I'll take care of it, Dove." Of course he knew what she was aiming for. She wanted a man like her father, Sean Heel. She wanted a deep, true love that would make her strong, yet pamper her when she needed it. He wasn't sure she would ever find one exactly like him, but Lory was an optimist. One day she would find someone very close, he was sure of it.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18**_

* * *

For the entire month before Setsuka Heel's feet touched Japanese soil, Sho Fuwa sulked and brooded like the angsty teen that he was. Yes, he had made all of the necessary changes outwardly, to make himself seem more mature, and his squealing little fangirls absolutely loved it. Something that he certainly took notice of, and decided to keep up the deception, but he failed to make the necessary inner changes. His manager made sure to point out the fact, causing his constant sour mood.

Aki Shoko knew exactly what was going on, and she'd thought it was just "so adorable" that he was willingly changing himself to get the attention of a very special girl. Although, it wasn't the image that he'd initially gone with. She was a little worried that the media would start to see through his little ruse if he slipped up in public, like he did every time he heard the name, Ren Tsuruga.

At the moment, he was pouting and huffing on her sofa in her living room, after seeing the little blip on the television about how Setsuka Heel was back in Tokyo, and they were questioning the reasons why Tsuruga had met her at the airport with Lory Takarada and his granddaughter, Maria. He hated being left out of the loop, and had assumed that she would at least give him a call or something, considering that she'd said she'd thought of him as a friend. He totally blanked out the texts that she'd sent him reading: _**SOD OFF YOU STUPID GIT!**_ , and _**PISS OFF YOU GOBBY WANKER!**_. Of course he'd had to look it up and have them translated, but he disregarded them nonetheless. He was going on the assumption that she'd said she needed a mature man in her life, and the fact that he made the cosmetic changes.

No, no... Sho making those changes were like slapping makeup and jewelry on a pig, and then trying to sell it as a cow. Any other male on the planet, that she knew, would most definitely understand the harsh meanings behind her text messages, but he was pretty thick when it came to rejection, and women. After all, he'd never been told no before. He had never in his life even experienced that word before. Well, maybe once, but that had been his parents regarding his future and they eventually caved, so he believed that if he was persistent with her, it would work the same way. He was going off the "No Means Yes" mythological theory concerning women. She was only playing hard to get, and he planned on playing her game.

* * *

She could actually see it now, and she felt a little twinge of pity for the boy. He kind of reminded her of the little boys that used to pull her pigtails in school, then shower her with candy and Valentines when she was little. For her, it was kind of sad to see a 17 year-old boy so emotionally stunted. If he weren't so arrogant and self-absorbed, she could actually see being friends with him one day, unfortunately today was not that day.

She'd only been back for a week and she was already being waylaid by his unwanted advances, and for some reason that escaped her, Kuon was in a snit. Her time with Maria, who seemed more mature than both males combined, was just what the doctor ordered. Both sat quietly at the very back of the auditorium, and observed all of the potentially new talents that filed in. One in particular seemed to catch their eyes, Kanae Kotonami. Maria had mentioned that the girl was a bit abrasive, but had a talent for memorizing an entire script in less that five minutes. Setsuka thought she was actually quite pretty too. She would actually make a good addition to LME, and she wasn't in it to get close to the top talents. She was actually in it to make something of herself, and they both found that pretty admirable.

They both had been shocked that they quickly dismissed her, because of her views on the main character in the script she was holding. Maria understood, so did Setsuka. After all, both had been hated, once upon a time, by a parent. Maria firmly believed that her father hated her and Setsuka knew for a fact that her adoptive mother, Saena hated her when she was Kyoko. That was something that a child does not forget, no matter how many years or how many people they have in their lives that love them dearly. It is a deep scar that never goes away. The decision was unfair. Kotonami-san shouldn't have been judged on her views of family, she should have been judged by her talent. Both girls got up and left.

* * *

"Well then, help me understand Setsu. Tell me why you think that parents can actually hate their own flesh and blood, when Sean and Lilly clearly cherished you." They were now in a yelling match that all parents experience with teens and she'd only been back for a couple of days.

"Mummy and Daddy did, but they weren't always my parents!..." She pouted and tears slowly found their way to her cheeks. "The mother that I had until I was six... The mother that thought that I was her flesh and blood, hated me with every fiber of her soul..." She started sobbing. "She thought I was hers, Papa... She thought I was hers and she hated me! She left me with strangers! If I hadn't been with people that didn't care about me, Mummy and Daddy would have never found me! I can't help, but think what life would have been like if they didn't. If someone else would have adopted me! I've read the news stories! I'm not stupid! I know how lucky I am! So don't sit there and tell me that a parent hating a child just isn't possible." She finished in tears.

Lory sighed, and pulled her into his arms. "Oh Sweetie, I am so sorry. I never really thought about it. I only thought of how wonderful it was that they found you. I'm sorry." He held her, rocking back and forth with her in his arms, repeating his apologies.

When the tears were dried he made a promise. "How about this, if she decides to return, I'll make a section for her, to help her debut. It's actually something I've been thinking of for quite sometime." He told her, not actually telling her he'd planned on placing her in it for her views on romantic relationships, possibly even Kuon. This Kanae Kotonami, he believed, needed help on her views of family and friends. Thinking of it, he had many in his company that could benefit from something like this.

She nodded in assent. She hated to think that someone with talent would go undiscovered, because of what she thought was a minor flaw that could be remedied. Her feelings and tears were honest. They hadn't been shed as a ploy to get what she wanted. There were many times that she'd thought about Saena, and the Fuwas after her parents had died. It was in those moments that the reality of her former life came crashing in on her. She looked back on Saena's treatment of her. Older now, she saw that the woman never wanted children, and she was thankful that she had been Setsuka Heel. She also saw how the Fuwas only took her in possibly as a favor owed or something to that effect. She hated to think of the very real possibility that she could have been raised in a home that had no love for her, to be raised as a permanent employee or something worse.

"If you like, you can assist with the new training section." Lory told her. "You could be the manager or mentor of the new group." He offered. "Maybe you, Maria and Ren. You all have been raised in that environment and know what to expect, and what others expect of you. I think your experiences might actually help, and make anyone that goes through the section stronger, and more knowledgeable." The lure was set and the line was cast. All he actually had to do is reel in his little fish. He knew she would bite, just as Kuon, and Maria had.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Chapter 19**_

* * *

He was good. Oh yes, Papa Lory knew exactly what he was doing when he created this godforsaken talent section. She grimaced as she stared menacingly at the hideously neon-pink uniform he'd placed in her locker. She was a fashion mogul for god's sake. What would people think if they saw her in something as tragic as this? Well, if she had anything to say about it, they wouldn't. She would make sure they wouldn't even if she had to wear a disguise to hide the fact that she was the first member of the LoveME Section...

She groaned a little and pulled the offending garment from its home. She eyed it cautiously and sighed. There was just no way of salvaging something like this without completely tearing it apart and rebuilding it from the seams. _Even the fucking zipper is pink!_ She groaned. _Who the bloody hell makes a pink zipper?!_ She sighed, put up her chestnut colored hair, removed all of her makeup, and her contacts, then proceeded to put on the offending garment. _You just wait until I tell Auntie Julie about this. NO! The color alone would kill her._ She pouted as she stepped into the pink monstrosity. There was just no way around it. She needed to do this if she wanted the young woman and others like her to gain entrance into the world of entertainment. This needed to be done and she would make the sacrifice.

* * *

Kuon's brow furrowed in confusion and irritation. Lory had actually found someone to put into the new LoveME Section. However, whomever this was, was laying in the middle of the dirt path on the way to the ryokan where they would be shooting the first scenes of Ring Doh.

His breath caught in surprise to see the pain contorted face. It was "His" Setsuka! "Setsu?" He called out as he approached the prone female form. "Is that you?" He heard her groan. "What are you doing out here?" He looked down at her red, swollen ankle and gave a sharp inhale. "Are you okay?"

"Did Ruriko send you?" She groaned a little with the question.

He shook his head, and grabbed her injured ankle that was now swollen to twice its size and an angry red. "I haven't been back to the set yet." He told her as he examined. "We were waiting for her to arrive."

Setsuka grimace and yelped when he grabbed it.

"It looks broken." He announced, picked her up and began carrying her to the set.

"I don't need help with this! K-Ren! I can't let you do this. What will others think?" She asked as she squirmed in his arms.

He chuckled. "Honestly Setsu, I really don't care what others will think. You're hurt and need medical attention. Like it or not, I am carrying you to the set. Yashiro-san can take a look, and we'll decide on where to go from there." He told her in Japanese, to not raise suspicions of their relation to each other.

In the shadows lurked a spoiled little diva, diligently spying on the chummy pair. She hated the fact that this strange girl seemed to know Ren Tsuruga very well, well enough to call him Ren. It was infuriating and she was definitely going to do something about it.

"Here we go." He sat her down on the steps. "Wait here and I'll get Yashiro-san. He can take a look at it and decide if we should take you to the hospital for that."

She groaned a little. "Ren... I cannot go to the hospital. I'm here for a LoveME assignment." She looked up at him with her golden doe eyes, making him want to melt for some reason that escaped him.

"W-Well..." He cleared his tightening throat. "At least let him look at it." He chuckled and shook his head a little. "I still can't believe you didn't fight the boss on that painful color." He mumbled.

She gave him a cute scowl. "I did. He threatened to revoke my privileges if I didn't." She groused.

"Ouch... Sorry." He knew that was going to be a sore subject, so he let it drop. "I'll be right back. Stay here and don't move a muscle until we know your ankle is okay." He ordered, and left her pouting with her arms crossed, staring at the grass.

She sat, pondering how he had gotten out of wearing the ridiculous get-up she, and Maria had been forced into, not knowing that his LoveME assignments would require him to deal with spoiled divas and take on jobs that would most likely cause him problems if he failed. The fact that he was wildly popular, and as well known as Kuu helped immensely too. It wouldn't do for the golden-boy of LME to be caught wearing something that would make a designer that had a contract with them, wince in pain.

It was realizations such as that, that caused her to curse her ability to change the way she looked so skillfully, and the fact that she had taken her early-childhood given name, as a stage name. Kuon and Maria were the only two at this point that were slipping, and still addressing her as Setsuka.

"Ah..." Yashiro sighed out as he approached then knelt before Setsuka. "Kyouko-chan, how on Earth did you do this?" He'd asked in a worried voice.

Setsu groaned a little, thinking of how she'd ended up carrying Ruriko up the path because the little diva faked an injury. "Nothing much, just me being silly." _and carrying a silly cow on my back for a half kilometer._ She bit her tongue before allowing that to slip. Cursing herself for falling for the ruse, and wondering exactly how much fun Emily would have had with the little viper. Em always did say that she was a little too gullible.

Yukihito smiled softly. "Well, it doesn't seem to be broken, but you should keep off of it and have it x-rayed. I'll let Ren know that I'm taking you to the hospital." He started to stand.

"NO! Um... That really won't be necessary. I'll try to stay off of it, and have Ruto take me when I get back." She hastily told him. She had a bone to pick with Ruriko-"chan", and she certainly was not going to give this girl what she wanted. Setsuka Heel did not allow people to abuse her kindness, and walk away unscathed. This girl was going to learn a lesson. Setsuka just wasn't sure how she was going to get her pound of flesh yet.

"Are you sure? You seem like you're in a bit of pain." He asked a little worriedly as he wrapped her ankle for her.

She nodded and smiled. "I'll be fine. I've had worse, Yashiro-san." She told him. Yes, she had. She'd broken her arm when she first got to her boarding school, then there were the martial arts classes and Japanese Tea Ceremony and etiquette classes she had taken from the time she was 12, to learn more about her heritage. Not to mention the lessons her parents arranged for her before they died.

Yashiro looked at her curiously. "Kyouko-chan? Are you alright?" He asked, a little worried by the sad pensive look she had.

She shook her head. "I'll be fine, Yashiro-san. I was just remembering something that I thought may help me out." Maybe it wouldn't be as hard to fit in as she initially thought. She just really didn't think of using everything she'd learned, but now maybe she could develop this Kyouko persona like Kuon did for Ren. She gave Yashiro a bright smile. "Really Yashiro-san, I'll be fine. Thank you for taking care of me."

Yashiro nodded a little shakily, still dazed by the dazzling smile. "Of course... I'll let Ren know your plans." _and I'll call Shachou to let him know what happened._ He added in thought. Lory had given him the covert task of being her unofficial manager when Ruto wasn't around. He'd had a hunch that his little goddaughter would most certainly want to step into the entertainment industry one day. Besides, it seemed to Yukihito that the interesting little female was able to slip past the insurmountable wall that his charge had put between himself and others. Around her, he seemed to behave his actual age and that was something that Yukihito wanted to witness more of.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter 20**_

* * *

Lory had mixed feelings about the Ring Doh incident. He was livid at Ruriko's behavior and treatment of Setsuka, but he was overjoyed that she'd been put in her place and reformed. He was also intrigued that Setsuka had the skills that she'd possessed. He didn't realize that she'd taken the initiative to learn more about the culture she was now immersed in. Hmm, just like Kuon. When they do something, they do it all the way and full-throttle until they nearly collapse. He thought as he remembered what Yukihito-kun had told him about what had happened on the set.

 _ **FLASHBACK**_

"Fine, if an amateur is what you really want, why not have her do it? People like her will do anything for attention! I quit!" The little diva turned to make her dramatic exit from the room, leaving all onlookers stunned that anyone could behave so completely childish, without any regard to their career.

Setsuka smirked. "I'll do it. It's not that difficult. Even a child could give Director Shingai what he's asking from you." _Maybe my lessons will pay off today. I'm sick of this little pampered princess acting like she's owed something._

Seiji Shingai smiled widely. This girl could give Ruriko the scare that none of them had been able to do. She could be a threat to her career in a very tangible way. "I'll allow it. Kyouko-chan, if you can outperform Ruriko-chan, the part of Choko is yours." He knew this wouldn't happen, but it was nice to see that look of worry on Ruriko's face before she stomped of screaming. He turned to the wardrobe and makeup crew. "Could you please prepare Kyouko-chan for the next scene?"

Even with her injured ankle, she had glided into the room regally as the director had envisioned, surprising everyone. Kuon knew she'd been taking lessons, did a couple of commercials in London, and been on the catwalk a few times, but this was extraordinary. He could hardly wait to see more; however, he thought that maybe she should bow out and wait until her ankle healed before she decided to do something like this again.

Director Shingai was astounded. She had portrayed Choko exactly how he'd envisioned his little princess. He was a little upset, only because he couldn't replace Ruriko-chan with Kyouko-chan. He was disgusted with Ruriko's behavior. Never before had he had to deal with such a spoiled little diva that believed the world revolved around her. Well, maybe he had, but not one as young as this one. He was a little worried about the scene containing the Tea Ceremony. Kyouko-chan's ankle was most likely broken, but she'd insisted that she be allowed to do it. He determined that if it seemed too much for her, he would end it immediately. Never did he think she would push herself as far as she did.

" _ **I mustn't move until my guest leaves... Sensei says that the Ceremony is not over until the guest leaves."**_ Kuon heard her murmur in English, wondering what she was talking about. _Does she think she's in her lessons? How far will she push herself to perfect something?_ His brow furrowed at the thought. This was a side of her he'd never encountered and wondered if she was that way when they were younger or if it was something that she'd developed after her parents died.

Kuon quickly left the stage and called for the set medic as he watched her collapse. He quickly moved to her and scooped her into his arms, then lay her on the blanket they'd laid out for her while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. "Setsu... Setsu... Can you hear me, Dove?" He whispered the pet name he'd heard Lory call her several times to get her attention.

"Corn..." She sighed out in her semi-unconscious state, and smiled languidly.

Kuon chuckled in relief. "She'll be okay." He commented as the EMTs carried her to the ambulance. He shot Ruriko a glance that made the hair on the back of her neck bristle. He was not about to allow someone like her off the hook for what she'd done to _"His"_ Setsuka. This girl was going to have to work for it, if she wanted to act alongside him after the mess she'd caused.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Ruriko Matsunai had been slapped with a healthy dose of reality, the moment she watched that Kyouko girl amble onto the stage for the Tea Ceremony scene. Actually, the inoculation had begun the moment the older girl had accepted her challenge. The fire in her eyes, sent chills down her spine as she remembered her determination. What made things infinitely worse, had been the look that Tsuruga-san had given her as he passed her. She truly felt like a lower life form at that moment.

For the first time in her life, Ruriko Matsunai had performed a dogeza in front of Director Shingai as she begged for another chance to prove herself. That humbling moment, she agreed to his terms. She would do as he said, as many times as he said. She swore to herself to take her acting debut seriously. Whereas before, she never really thought of acting as a real job. She'd been like most other singers, thinking that actors had it easy, that all they had to do is recite a few lines from a glanced at script, and move to the next scene. She was rudely awakened, and promptly educated that she was indeed replaceable. Acting was not as easy as it seemed, and she most certainly would need to keep an eye out for this new girl, Kyouko.

 _ **END FLASHBACK**_

He was proud of Setsuka for what she was able to accomplish, but it was at the cost of her health in doing so. She was officially out of commission for a couple of weeks, and she would be wearing a cast for a total of at least six weeks. Her ankle had suffered a spiral fracture on her fibula. The smallest bone on the outer part of her ankle, had a break that rotated around the bone like a twisted, broken, fresh tree branch.

Thankfully it had been a minor break, the bone had not pulled apart, and she didn't need surgery. They did however, have to set it, and Yashiro had told him that it seemed quite painful when they had. It seemed as though even the pain medication they'd given her beforehand, didn't help at all. She would definitely be under the influence of the pain medication for at least a few days.

* * *

Miles away, a reformed diva tossed and turned in her bed, caught in a nightmare of being chased down, tied up, and tossed into a dark hole. After all, that strange girl Kyouko had told her she would make sure she'd never see the light again, and Ruriko saw the truth in it. Who exactly was that girl?

* * *

"Bloody hell, this is painful." She growled in the dark, unable to sleep. Setsuka rolled over and flicked on her bedside light, then sighed in frustration. She sat up and grabbed her tablet PC from the nightstand and turned it on. 2:45... Well, it's not 2:45 in New York. She thought with a smirk and began going over the new designs for the spring collection.

Lory shook his head when the noticed that she'd logged on. "That girl really needs her rest." He sighed out, but he could understand.

Moments later one would find him softly tapping on her door. "Setsu? Are you still awake?"

"Yes Papa, come in." He heard her mumble through the door.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked as he sat on the armchair next to her bed.

She lowered her tablet to her lap and nodded. "Still hurts a bit, but I really don't want to take more of the pain medication."

He stood, fluffed her pillows, and evened out the elevation under her leg, noticing her wince as he pampered her. He sighed. "Setsu Love, it won't do any good if you don't sleep. You need to in order to heal properly. The doctor wouldn't have prescribed them if he didn't think you needed them." He gently scolded.

She groaned a little. "I know Papa."

He gave her a nod. "Good, then I'll take that until morning." He took her tablet from her, and handed her the glass of water with the two pills she'd left undisturbed on her nightstand. "And you will take this." He kissed her forehead.

When he was satisfied that she was perfectly comfortable, tucked in, and finally drifting off, he kissed her forehead once again, turned off the light and bade her a good-night. _**"I love you Daddy."**_ She murmured in her drugged, comfortable state. _**"Night, night."**_

Lory smiled softly, feeling as though his heart was going to burst from his chest. Not once, in the past six years, had she uttered those words to anyone. _**"I love you too, Princess."**_ He shut the door quietly and went to bed.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Chapter 21**_

* * *

She was bored. She was certain that she had never experienced this level of boredom. Daddy had told her she wasn't allowed to do any work at all, not even her schoolwork. So, all she had left to do was surf the internet, look at the new spell books she'd purchased with Maria, and sew.

The spell books didn't take long. She'd been perusing them since she bought them. She found a few interesting little charms, and a couple of sections on summoning that she'd never read before. Something about splintering the soul and creating minions. She chuckled a little at that one. It read that she would need a traumatic experience to start the spell, and a huge amount of emotion. _Poppycock! I've been through enough in my lifetime to create hundreds of the little beggars, and haven't seen 'em yet._ _**(Mistress doesn't know we're here. The little blue minion sighed sadly and sat on Setsuka's knee.)**_

Her next activity had been bouncing from subject to subject on the internet. First it'd been videos, then music from almost every genre, then finally landing on her favorite subjects such as cooking recipes, the latest fashion trends and news, makeup, and the latest goings on in the entertainment industry. When she finally bored from that, she decided to start sewing.

When Maria finally came home from school, she found her favorite auntie surrounded by little tufts of fluff, bits of cloth, buttons, pins, needles, threads, ribbons, and a myriad of other sewing items. In her hands was a familiar looking doll that was nearly finished. It was her Ren-sama! "Oba-chan! Is that Ren-sama?!" She squealed out excitedly and Setsuka gave her a big smile.

Setsuka nodded. "What do you think? Does it really look like him?" She asked as she handed the girl the doll.

Maria nodded. "It's amazing. It looks just like him. Even down to the suit he wore for the Gala. Are you going to add the roses he was carrying too?"

Setsu gave her a thoughtful look. "Hmm, I don't know. I didn't really think of accessories. Do you think I should?"

A big smile crossed Maria's lips and she nodded vigorously. "Can I help?" She asked as she picked up some thin, red ribbon and started twisting it into a tiny rose.

"That looks amazing Maria. Can you make me twelve of them?" She asked as she examined the little bud.

"Sure, but we'll need to find a way to make them stay in place." She commented as she formed another.

Setsuka smiled. "That's easy. We'll just put a little stitch in the bottom... So, how did school go today?" She asked casually as she put in the first stitch.

Maria sighed and then scowled a little when she thought of what had happened after school. "It went fine, but then I had to go to my dance classes at the training center."

"Oh? What happened in class?" She noticed Maria's little scowl as she looked for something to use as a stem for the rose.

Maria nibbled on her lip a little nervously. "The acting section was rehearsing for The Miraculous Language Of Angels." She groused.

"Really? What's it about?" Setsu asked casually as she stitched the edge of some thin white cloth to wrap the roses in.

Maria pouted. "It's a stupid story about a stupid girl and her stupid family."

Setsuka giggled. "That's a lot of stupid in there. I don't think that Papa would allow a play like that to be released under LME. Is there more?"

Maria nodded.

Setsuka noticed the change in Maria's attitude and decided to drop the subject. "Well, I'm sure you have your reasons for thinking it's stupid. Oh! I know, how about we starch these threads until they're stiff and use those as stems for the roses!"

Maria noticed the change of subject and deeply appreciated it. She nodded. "I think that would be wonderful Oba-chan." She said approvingly with a small smile. Although, she firmly believed that her Oba-Setsu wouldn't completely understand her view on the play. Both of Oba-Setsu's parents had always loved her.

* * *

Lory sat in his office, trying to figure out how to deal with the situation that he had with Maria. He had scanned through that script so many times, he'd almost had it memorized. What exactly was he missing? There wasn't anything in it that should upset her. He opened it again and read the meanings, and not just the words. "She really couldn't think that, could she?" He whispered as he took in another reading. "How could she believe for a moment that Kouki hates her? He left her here so she would be with people that she felt familiar and comfortable with."

He leaned back in his chair and groaned a little. Could it be exactly as he thought? She thought that her father hated her for the accident her mother had, and that he'd left her behind because he didn't wish to be associated with her? He really hadn't put too much depth into those thoughts when everything had happened. He had been so busy with Kuon and Setsuka at the time, it never really occurred to him that she would feel that way.

She was just so young at the time. Now that he had gotten to know his granddaughter better, he realized that she was far more mature than other children her age. He groaned a little at the thought. She and Setsuka were so much alike, the only differences had been that Maria didn't have the choice of where she wanted to be and Setsu did; Kuon had been there for Maria, not Setsu and she clung to him for it; finally, Setsu shut everyone out and moved on, Maria had tried to reach out, but it was misunderstood as acceptance. He wondered what would have happened had Maria been 10 instead of 5. Would she have asked to be sent to a boarding school? He wondered if Setsu had issues with riding in a car for the first few years, and just refrained from telling anyone. He groaned again when he thought of how she'd wanted to ride her bicycle around Tokyo, and refused to go anywhere under the premise that it was bad for the environment. Yes, that had to be it and he'd totally dropped the ball on that one.

That was it. Maria actually believed that Kouki hated her, didn't want to be near her or see her face. She hated MLA because the father didn't react the way she'd expected. No one was blaming Angel for the death of her mother, how the insensitive fans and sycophants had blamed Maria for Lina's death. Maria, a 5 year-old little girl that only wanted to see her mother's face, hear her voice, and be held by her for her birthday, was considered a selfish spoiled child due to the fact that an inexperienced pilot didn't know what the hell he was doing. She'd only wanted what other children often took for granted. Where people had pitied Setsuka, they had blamed Maria. He had lost quite a few of his own friends because of that incident. He did not wish to affiliate with grown adults that would blame a child for being a child, and needing what a child needed.

There had to be a way to fix this; although, Lory had no idea how to begin. He'd been telling Maria for the past two years that it wasn't her fault, but to no avail. Ruto would spend hours trying to comfort her. Even Kuon had tried to make her understand, but as much as she adored him, his words would never get through.

* * *

Days later one would find Setsuka and Maria riding home in the limo, after a very emotional display in the actor's training section.

"I didn't always have a mother and father that loved me." She quietly confessed to Maria. "When I was a little younger than you, there was a woman that I was given to by accident. She thought she was my mother, but she wasn't. I understand Maria. I've felt that hatred. I only had her and she abandoned me. Had I not been found by my mother and father, I would have never known what it was like to have someone actually love and care about me."

Maria sniffled. "And then you lost them too."

Setsuka nodded solemnly. "I did... but I did have them for a little while. For that brief moment, they loved me, and I'd like to believe that they still do, wherever they are." Setsuka sighed and stroked Maria's hair. "Kouki doesn't hate you Maria. After what you said in the studio, I know you know that. Don't push him away, Maria. Would you be able to forgive yourself if something happened to him too? Would you really want him to leave this world, thinking that you didn't love him too?" She asked in a soft, understanding tone as they rode home from the studio in the limo.

Maria shook her head. "I don't know how. I don't even know where to start."

Setsu smiled. "Well, he does send you an email every night. Why not answer one?"

"But I don't know what to talk about." Maria said with a little despair.

Setsu giggled and poked her in the side. "Silly, just answer his question. Tell him how your day went. You don't have to write a novel. Just tell him the things you would talk to me, Ren or, Papa about. He'll understand." Setsuka suggested.

Maria nodded, gathering her thoughts and trying to decide exactly what she was going tell her daddy.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Chapter 22**_

* * *

She wanted to do this on her own. Too many untalented people got into the business using their names or their connections. She was thankful that as Setsuka Heel, she'd always worn her blue contacts. There were few that knew that her eyes were actually gold, like her father's and few knew that her hair was black, like her mother's. She despised people that judged others by how they dressed or how many people they had doting upon them, like Erika Koenji.

The little witch had actually had the nerve to comment about her sense of taste in clothing! Setsuka was biting her tongue not to mention that the little wench was actually wearing a design that was featured by her label... last year. No, no... she would not stoop to that level. She wanted to do this on her own. She was not here to lend her name to Kando. She was only there to audition for the commercial for their soft drink, Curara.

Setsuka sat next to her fellow sufferer of the pink curse and sighed. "Is she always like this?"

"Mo... Every time." Kanae growled out, trying not to even afford a glance across the room at her personal tormentor.

Setsuka nudged her with her shoulder. _"I wonder if she knows that she's wearing last year's Lilliana."_ She whispered barely audibly. Not that Setsuka actually cared. She preferred style and comfort, so a good pair of worn denims and a well worn blouse with a pair of boots and a couple of accessories, was more than enough for her. The only actual time one would find her dolled up in the latest, would be at a show or an interview.

Kanae snorted a little giggle. _"I doubt it with the way she keeps going on."_

Setsuka sighed a little. _"I would love to point it out, but I doubt it would have any effect on her attitude. So... how do you know such a daft cow?"_ She asked, honestly wondering how on Earth Kanae knew such a spoiled little, over-the-top, rich-bitch.

Kanae just looked at her a little confused. She noted the slip in accent and terminology she'd used. "Oh, well... We used to go to school together. She didn't like the idea of anyone being chosen for anything over her." She then went on to explain her history with the girl.

"Ah... I see." She'd encountered many girls like Erika at her boarding school. "In that case, we need to be allies."

"You do realize that they're only looking for one girl, don't you?" Kanae asked dryly.

Setsu smirked. "We'll knock out the competition first, then may the best woman win."

At the end of the day, Kanae and Setsuka were well on their way into the acting world and Setsuka had found a friend that was more level headed and less trouble than Emily. Someone a little more mature, not that she would ever forget her friend Emily, but Kanae was what she needed in Japan and quite possibly anywhere else.

* * *

It was simple. She really didn't think much of it when she suggested it and she'd always taken for granted her time spent with Emily, but the little outing she'd had with Kanae seemed more relaxing, even when Erika Koenji desperately tried to ruin it. Kanae was a very strong person, a force to be reckoned with and Setsuka admired that most in a person. She didn't want friends that had to stand behind you for protection, not that she minded doing so when the situation called for it, but she enjoyed having friends that could take care of themselves and had a firm grip on what they wanted their lives to be. Her friends in England really didn't have much of that. As much as she adored Emily, the girl still relied on her connections with her father and his status. The others were pretty much the same. Kanae was independent, like her.

It surprised her how easily she relaxed around her friend. She could even say that Kanae was her best friend. She felt like she'd known her for a lifetime, like a best friend. She felt like she could tell her anything and not have Kanae use it against her. She could honestly say that she really didn't feel that way about Emily. When Kanae had lectured Erika on relying on others instead of herself, Setsuka had felt she'd met a soul sister. Everything Kanae had said resonated with Setsuka in every way.

* * *

Setsuka Heel was now getting a firm footing in the entertainment industry of Japan. The Curara commercial with her new best friend was merely the beginning. Although, it honestly didn't really feel like work anymore. She'd actually had fun with this particular director's approach. The man was a genius when it came to what he felt people wanted to see. She felt a little honored that he'd decided to pick her and Kanae.

What had shocked her, well not really, was Lory and Maria had come to the site to check on her or was it just to say hi? Maria had told her she wanted to celebrate their first time on film in Japan. She had to indulge the little sprite. Maria had the cutest kicked puppy look to her when she'd thought Setsuka would refuse. She sincerely hoped that the pair wouldn't blow everything out of proportion like they were known to do. Setsu really didn't wish to have a big coming out party for a silly commercial.

For some strange reason, she'd felt her heart do a little flip when she'd learned that Kuon had come to the site initially too. It was a strange feeling and she didn't quite know what to make of it. She'd never felt anything like it before. It had actually kept her up a little later than she'd wished, and the only thing that she had been able to alleviate it with was an hour of extra study, and large cup of chamomile tea. In the morning when she'd awakened, she'd completely forgotten about it. Well that is until she saw him, and then it happened all over again.

* * *

She honestly didn't know why she agreed to wear this ridiculous pink monstrosity or participate in her pseudo-father's horrific new talent section, but she did see the necessity in it. Although, she couldn't help, but think that there was something about it that Lory wasn't telling her. How could she have possibly know the true meaning behind the LoveME Section? Lory never told her it was for those that were missing an aspect of that one emotion that he was so taken with.

Yes, he'd seen it in her. He had seen that she distanced herself from meaningful relationships, just as Kuon was known to do. Certainly she had more acquaintances than one could shake a stick at, but she only really had two friends, one was a consummate trouble-maker and the other an ice queen with family issues. He supposed that she could consider Kuon one of her best friends, but she was a teen-aged girl and he couldn't even figure himself out, much less her. Kuon actually relating to her troubles would be like a cat giving a fish advice on how to breathe under water.

Lory decided to sit back and observe his two little "Love Idiots" and wait to see what developed between them. He did approve of the slight changes he'd noticed in both. She was opening up more and Kuon had stopped dating with the _"hit or miss"_ technique. Although, Kuon had stopped dating completely. Which he supposed was a good thing. Lory absolutely did not want an indecisive young man to date her. He wanted him to be serious about her and that included his godson.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Chapter 23**_

* * *

Jeez he was being annoying. She never thought that Kuon could be so difficult regarding his health. He was obviously sick. She'd only been truly sick once in her life and she'd nearly died in the process. She didn't want the same for Kuon. He had a sore throat and a fever, which brought back some seriously bad memories for her. She wasn't about to allow him to suffer as much as she did when she was younger. She honestly never really thought about the fact that it was a childhood disease and what he had at the moment was a simple, common cold.

He was being difficult. Of course he had to argue with her about being sick and she knew he'd never been sick a day in his life, but now that just wasn't the case. _**"Kuon..."**_ She growled. _ **"There's a first time for everything. I'm telling you, you're sick! Why won't you listen to me?"**_

Kuon sighed. _**"Fine, If I start running a fever and coughing like Yashiro, then I'll take some time off for it, and that's a big if. I'm telling you, I am not sick."**_ He insisted while clearing his scratchy throat.

She pouted at him and gave him a small glare. _**"Fine... Be a stupid wanker. Just don't come crying to me for help when you feel like shit!"**_ She stomped off.

He was stunned. He really didn't expect her to be so irritated by something so insignificant. He really believed he wasn't sick and she wanted to press the issue. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He honestly didn't want her to be angry with him again. He hated the feeling that came with it. She'd always been so sweet and cute when she was younger, but now she was this coarse, abrasive, pushy teenager.

He wasn't sure how to handle this, her. Aside from the fact that he'd basically skipped his teen years when it came to dealing with others, he didn't really associate with teen girls that much, other than a few dates... and other things. Things that he certainly couldn't see himself doing now with Setsuka. Never her, she was still a little girl in his eyes. She was only 16 for pity's sake. She still had so much growing up to do before she should be doing the things she was doing right now. Running a business, being a CEO, being a designer/model, and now she was taking on acting. Never once did it cross his mind that she was more responsible than a good portion of the adult population. Never once did it cross his mind, that perhaps she wasn't the little girl he'd sat in the dressing room with, and colored the little blue fish with anymore.

"Ren~" She called into the lounge in a sickeningly sweet tone. "You're wanted on the set." She glanced around to be sure no one was watching, turned back to him, scowled, stuck her tongue out at him, and then left to where she had been told to wait for him, just off the set area, out of the way.

Kuon chuckled. _Yeah, she's definitely still a little girl._ He thought. How could he possibly know that this would be a part of her, even as a woman? He was still lying to himself about her just going through some rebellious teen phase. No, this was her and it would be her for a very long time. She was headstrong, a bit childish at times, aloof when it suited her, laid back when **_he_** didn't get under her skin, and steeped firmly in the belief that the people that actually loved her would either leave her or die. He certainly had a lot of learning to do before he even considered what that little twinge was in his chest, every time she was angry with him or when she decided to ignore him.

* * *

She knew it! He was sick. He had a high fever and he was so out of it, she had to have Ruto help her get him home. That wasn't really what bothered her though. The thing that had her completely out of sorts and terrified was the way he had smiled at her groggily and said her name so sweetly. As if... As if he actually loved her. She'd shed her tears, calmed herself, and decided that she would never allow him to think for one moment that she would allow anyone to say those words to her, the words that would always bring her pain, abandonment or inevitably the death of someone she cared about. The sooner she could erase that from her life, the better.

Now one would think that with her hearing it from Lory, she would have done the same, but in his case she honestly believed that he only showed her affection out of obligation as her godfather. Certainly Maria liked her, but she'd never said those words. Her friends never uttered them, not her closest anyway, simply because they knew of her aversion. Boyfriends of the past had never been allowed to say them, she'd cut them off with a kiss or interrupted before they slipped out, then later the relationship would end because of her disinterest; although, they would still stay friends.

* * *

Sho groaned a little as he watched the soft drink commercial. _She really is avoiding me, isn't she?_ He frowned at the thought. He'd never had a girl go out of her way to blow him off before, they'd always followed him around like some little lost dog, quite similar to how Mimori was behaving at the moment. He winced and rolled his eyes. He really couldn't stand clingy girls, even though that's all he ever attracted. Well, Setsuka was the first one to not do that, so there had to be more of them out there that probably wouldn't even stop to give him the time of day.

"Shoko-san~" He lilted with a little whine as he lazily craned his neck to look at his manager from where he'd been lounging on the sofa. "I want her for my PV. I want her and that other girl." He told her sweetly.

"Who did you want Sho?" She asked, not realizing that he'd recorded the Curara commercial on his DVR, and was replaying it over and over. She watched, a little worried that her charge had turned into an obsessive stalker, as he rewound the commercial and pointed out one Setsuka Heel and LME's latest addition, Kanae Kotonami.

"I want Setsuka-chan and Kanae-chan." He paused the scene. "Don't you think they would be perfect for the two angels?" He asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

Shoko rolled her eyes at him and sighed. "Is that the only reason Sho?" She asked a little suspicious.

He furrowed his brow. "Of course it is. Jeez, what do you think I am? Some kind of stalker?" He groused.

She snorted a small laugh. "I suppose not. I guess they would make really good angels, considering how they look in that commercial." She sighed a little. "I'll talk to Haruki and see what we can do." She assured him, and went to make the call.

Sho smirked as soon as she turned her back. _Too easy. Women are so predictable. If I play my cards right, she'll be wrapped around me in less than a week._ He thought as he pressed play once again and watched while Setsuka and Kanae romped playfully in the park.


	24. Chapter 24

_**Chapter 24**_

* * *

She was so relieved that he'd pulled out of his fever, and he hadn't said a single word about his first day of being sick. That was certainly something she never wanted to discuss with him. Not how he'd clung to her in his fevered state, how he'd purred her name so sweetly, or the compliments he'd showered her with as she tucked him into his bed, nearly having him pull her with him. The tears were gone, the crushing sense of despair had dissipated, and she was finally back on firm ground.

"I really think this would be a great opportunity for you Kyoko-chan." Takenori Sawara told her as he handed her the offer. "The added bonus is, that you already know him."

Setsuka groaned a little inwardly. Fuwa was not going to give up, was he? Although, she couldn't disagree with Sawara-san. He had a point. Fuwa was rising in the ranks and it would look good on her résumé. "Give me a little time to think on it." She sighed out as she tucked her offers in to her bag and smiled weakly.

Takenori nodded, picking up his phone. "Just make sure to let me know by five, so they can find a replacement if you decide against it."

She waved back at him. "I'll know for sure by then." She told him, walking out of the office. Honestly? She wanted to get Kanae's opinion on it. She didn't want him to use her to further his career by using her name on the PV, but she wasn't sure if he'd even recognized her. She had changed her look a bit and took a stage name. That would be enough, wouldn't it? Not really. She was still a little flashy with her long blonde hair in the commercial, and she still hadn't had the courage to rid herself of the light-blue contact lenses. So, taking an actual stage name really hadn't been much of a deterrent, that and the fact that Sho was after her like an animal during mating season.

At the end of the day, she and Kanae had discussed the merits of her participating in that stupid PV. Kanae wouldn't do it, of course. She already had an obligation and she most certainly didn't wish to play some lovesick idiot, because she was 100% sure Setsuka wouldn't take that part. She figured that Setsuka's style would be more of the persuasion of something a bit more powerful.  
"You really shouldn't be surprised that they picked you. It happens all the time." Setsuka commented as they readied herself for her final job of the day.

"I know... It's just so unreal. Well, at any rate... I think you should do the PV. Just don't let that pig use you. Make sure the producer and his manager know to use your stage name, so he can't brag about having Setsuka Heel added to his harem." Kanae reminded her.

Setsuka laughed. "Harem... That's a good one. He probably wouldn't know what to do with me if he did. From the way he acts, I would think he's still a virgin."

Kanae spit the water she'd been drinking. "MO! Don't do that to me when I'm drinking something! I nearly choked to death." She laughed while cleaning the water off the small table she was sitting at.

Setsuka giggled. "Okay, okay... I'll stop for now."

"You have Bo tonight?" Kanae asked, wondering if Setsuka still had her gig with Bridge Rock, remembering how it had all began and how Sho had felt her up during his little interview.

Setsuka laughed. "Yeah, as much as Tano-san wanted to fire me, they had to bring me back for Bo. When Papa Lory saw the interview, Tano-san really got yelled at." She winced a little.

Kanae nodded. "I can see why. I mean, the ass practically sexually assaulted you on stage and Tano-san blamed you for it."

Setsuka giggled. "Yeah, but he did get a good knee to the crotch. Accidentally on purpose, of course."

Kanae laughed. "Of course."

* * *

Takenori Sawara was really mystified by this girl. She'd always been a puzzle to him. He'd first met little Setsuka Heel when she was ten years old. The poor thing had just lost her parents. She was so quiet and shy. His heart went out to her. The changes she had made to her appearance had shocked him. He never really had the opportunity to actually witness them before she'd left and the only time he'd truly met her had been the single time she'd come to the office with Lory. It was around the same time that Lory had started dressing strangely.

At any rate, the girl that stood in his office now was nothing like the little girl. Most girls would respond instantly at the chance to be in a rock star's PV, but she had taken it down to the wire before giving her answer. He'd been worried that he'd have to call Asami-san back and tell her that both girls had turned down the opportunity.

"It's a very good opportunity for you, and you'll get to be in Sho Fuwa's PV." He said excitedly. Happy for her, because wouldn't his own daughter be completely beside herself if something like that happened?

Not Setsuka Heel, no sir. Her reaction? She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yay, yippee... I get to be in Fuwa-san's little video. I'm _**so**_ excited..." She'd said with a little more sarcasm than she intended.

He stood and closed the door to his office. He turned to her. "Setsuka-chan, if you really don't wish to do the PV, you know you can refuse the offer." He told her as he sat back down.

She sighed and shook her head. "No, sometimes one has to do unpleasant things to make advances. I promise I won't knee him again." She told him glancing off to the side with a dejected look.

Sawara just chuckled. "Well, if it does come to something like that or if your worried about him, I can always ask one of the interns to go with you. Perhaps even Ruto? I'm sure Takarada-san wouldn't have a problem with it, all things considered."

She smiled softly and shook her head. "No need to go through so much trouble. I may not like him, but I'll be fine and I promise not to cause any trouble. If he gets out of hand, I'll give you a call or talk to the director about it. If that doesn't work, I'll call Papa."

Sawara laughed. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled to have a word with Fuwa-kun about his most recent behavior regarding a certain chicken."

Setsuka giggled. "I think that maybe talking would be the furthest thing from his mind concerning that."

Sawara shook his head with a grin. "Well, at any rate, I'm going to let Takarada-san know that you accepted the offer, just in case something comes up. That way Ruto will be on call for you that day." He told her scanning through a few of the offers on his desk. "Oh! By the way, this one came in for you a couple of hours ago." He held up another offer. "I was told they've worked with you before." He handed her the piece of paper.

Setsuka groaned a little after scanning the page. She looked up at him. "Can I be in both videos? I mean it wouldn't jeopardize the contracts, would it?"

Sawara cocked an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing was mentioned by either, and it's not in their contracts. I don't see why you couldn't."

She nodded with a smirk, and handed it back to him signed. "I'll do both. Could be fun."

 _Maybe that's why she doesn't like Fuwa-kun. Hmm, should probably let Lory know._ "Alright, don't forget to put them in your schedule. Fuwa's is for Wednesday and the other is for Friday. The location information is on each page at the bottom, along with the times. Did you want me to give Asami-san your new number?" He looked up at her expectantly.

Setsuka shook her head. "No, I think it would be better to keep that information under wraps. I had to change my number last time one of Fuwa-san's associates had access to it." She gave an irritated little groan, which surprised Sawara-san. Not many were able to elicit such a response from her. She was usually so laid back and calm, regardless the situation. He gave her an inquisitive look and she rolled her eyes. "He left 47 messages and texted me 87 times, on my flight to London."

Sawara-san nodded. "I'll be sure to make note of that. We don't need something like that getting out or happening again, so early in your exposure to Japan."

She sighed a little. "I'm really sorry about all of this. Maybe I really shouldn't do the PV. It seems so much trouble now that I think about it."

Sawara-san smiled softly at her, she reminded him so much of his own daughter. "Not to worry Setsuka-chan. It won't be a problem." He told her as she prepared to leave his office.


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N: Before screaming OoC, just remember that this version of her was raised in a loving home until she was 10 years old and then basically by other progressive teens her age until this point at a European boarding school, not the Nadeshiko Yamato that the original Kyoko was raised to be as a wife to Sho. Not to mention, she's basically Western European in her upbringing, and Lory's goddaughter (Yikes). So, on that note, she's a relatively normal teen, but perhaps a little more free to do as she pleases without all of the restrictions that had been pounded into Kyoko Mogami's personality.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 25**_

* * *

She had seriously had enough of the little bitch known as Mimori Nanokura. All morning she'd had to put up with her whining, pushing, shoving, and draping herself over Sho and Sho on her tail most of the morning, trying to either feel her up or impress her with his _winning personality_. It was the most disgusting thing she'd ever seen in her entire life, the pair were made for each other. She just wanted to get this fiasco over with and go home to soak in the hot tub, maybe even take a swim with Natsuko, but no, it was barely even noon and they hadn't even gone to wardrobe and makeup yet.

That girl thought that she could threaten, and pick on her just because she was under the misguided impression that she wanted her "Sho-chan"? Setsuka accidentally let a cute laugh escape. Hell, if she wanted him, she would have him begging for her table scraps with just a look. She cocked a perfectly plucked eyebrow at the thought as she noticed the little round confections in her bento as the dessert. _Playing around a little wouldn't hurt._ She smirked and picked one up. "I wonder if these are the salted caramel ones." She purred, glancing up at the pair sitting across from her, through her thick dark lashes.

Mimori scowled at her and Sho looked at her curiously, sufficiently distracted from the gawdawful sweet egg rolls that Mimori was trying to force feed him. He watched with bated breath as Setsuka Heel licked the tiny ball delicately and took a nibble. He swallowed thickly as she sucked it into her mouth with a little _**"pop"**_ and licked her lips.

"Hmm..." She purred in the most obscene way she could think of without being too completely offensive. "Chocolate... Too bad. I really like the salty caramel ones. I just looovve how they _**burst**_ in my mouth and _**ooze**_ down my throat." She sighed. "Oh well... Maybe next time." She smirked and went back to eating the rest of her meal.

Sho's face went from frozen to overheated in a flash. He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. "E-Excuse m-me. I'll be right back." He stood abruptly and left the room, leaving a very confused, innocent Mimori to finish her meal alone.

"Do you think he didn't like my bento?" She asked Aki Shoko.

It took everything Aki had not to roll on the floor in laughter after that little display. She'd never seen a female turn the tables on Sho like that the entire time she'd known him. She shook her head. "I'm certain that isn't the problem Mimori-chan. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be back in about five minutes." She snorted.

Setsuka looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Really? That quick, huh?" She giggled. _That was so easy it almost wasn't any fun_.

" _I think maybe this one's a little out of Sho's league."_ Haruki whispered to Aki and she really couldn't disagree with the observation.

Her next lovely moment with him had to have been just after she and Mimori were finished getting ready for filming. Setsuka wanted to wince a little at the pure angel look she was sporting, Kanae was right. She would have never felt comfortable as some fawning idiot for that oversexed little boy. Although, she was a little shocked that he had the audacity to try and pin her to the wall of the hallway, after she'd exited the dressing room. Thankfully Mimori-chan had witnessed the end of the little spectacle before Setsuka had the chance to knee him in the groin again. However, the rest of filming had been a bit difficult with the little _"Poochie"_ after that, with her tantrums. Mercifully, Setsuka didn't have anything else scheduled for the day and at the end, she'd discovered Ruto lurking in the shadows, waiting to escort her home.

* * *

" _ **Don't laugh at me. That wanker tried to feel me up."**_ She groused.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leaned in as they walked to the meeting room. _**"Do you want me to do something about him, Babe?"**_ He murmured in her ear.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. _**"It'll be fine. He's harmless. I already took care of it and Ruto had been there. Papa had sent him without letting me know."**_

The violet-eyed young man backed off a little and swallowed nervously, as he scanned around. _**"Is he here?"**_

She giggled. _**"No, he's with Papa and Maria today, Cedric."**_

He groaned. _ **"Please DO NOT call me that here. It's Reino... Setsu."**_

She smirked. _**"Yeah, I know. Only if you remember that here, I'm Kyouko."**_

He nodded. _**"I understand."**_ He shook his head. _**"Why do names carry so much weight in this business? It sucks."**_

She nudged him with her shoulder as they stood before the conference room door, and sighed. _**"We just need to make sure that they don't, and they see us for who we are. It's our job to bring more to the names after we make our mark."**_

He smiled. _**"I suppose you're right, as always."**_

She glanced at him a little surprised. _**"As always?"**_

He groaned a little. _**"Yeah, you were right about that Kimiko girl. I asked around a little, she's a real piece of work, and so not my type."**_ He kissed her cheek. _**"I would have preferred someone a little more... hmm, not a deceptive bitch. With you, it's what you see, is what you get."**_ He chuckled, leaning back and admiring her new little followers. There had only been a couple when he first met her two years ago, but now she had at least 20 of the little creatures worshiping her. He could only surmise that someone here had irritated her enough to attract them. He supposed it was either someone new or someone she'd known for a very long time, and he could guess who the later was. Irritatingly enough, probably _"her Kuon"_. It did irk him that Fuwa had been able to get a reaction from her, though. Well, maybe not. He was pretty sure he didn't want to be on that short list at the moment. He certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end of her Martial Arts training.

She groaned a little. _**"Why am I doing this again?"**_

He laughed. _**"Because you know you love me, and you couldn't resist."**_ He said teasingly with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes. _**"Stop being so full of yourself. You only want a snogging for old time's sake."**_

He glanced at her as he opened the door. _**"Maybe a little more?"**_ He whispered and quickly entered before she could retort, snickering at the full blush that bloomed on her cheeks.

" _ **I am not one of your slappers or a one off!"**_ She hissed quietly as she elbowed him in the side before they sat down.

" _ **I never said that you were."**_ He whispered back. _**"Have dinner with me after."**_

" _ **Ask me later."**_ She told him as the director and the producer came in and took their seats. He nodded with a big smile.

* * *

She giggled. _**"I had my doubts, but I think it turned out pretty good. Although, the costume was a bit lacking."**_

He laughed as he sat his herbal tea down. _ **"I think it was perfect. Besides, it's not like anyone will actually know it's you, unless you say something. The makeup covered your face pretty well."**_

She glanced up from her menu. _**"Of course**_ **you** _ **would. You're not going to release my name with it?"**_ She asked a little surprised.

He shook his head and smirked. _**"All they need to know is, that**_ **my** _ **girl is the one that made the perfect voodoo queen."**_

She rolled her eyes. _**"Not your girlfriend anymore, Cedric."**_

He raised an eyebrow. _**"For now. I'll make you change your mind Setsu."**_ He blew her a little kiss from across the table and she rolled her eyes. He was pretty sure that every tabloid in Japan would have them together by the end of the day tomorrow, and if it weren't that soon, it would definitely be cemented once their video was released after Fuwa's was rumored to be. Even if he didn't give her name for it.


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N: The song that I chose for Vie Ghoul's PV is: Voodoo by Godsmack, just for reference. Obviously I don't own the rights to either Skip Beat! Or, Voodoo. Hope you're enjoying the story thus far. 8) No, I do not think that Reino is actually Cedric D. Bennett. LOL, I'm only throwing it out there to give him a more solid place in her life and the story. Kuon needs a little competition and let's face it, Sho will never be able to compete with him in that way, he's just too childish.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 26**_

* * *

Aki Shoko paced back and forth in her small office in worry. She had just discovered the Vie Ghoul would be releasing their new _Voodoo_ PV for general public consumption, slightly after Sho's _Prisoner_ PV. From what she'd heard through the grapevine, it made what they had planned for Sho seem a bit childish and self-absorbed. Whereas he had gone with the story of two angels basically fighting because of him; Vie Ghoul had gone with something infinitely more mature, and didn't have a female draped over them for the entire PV. Actually, it seemed as though the female would be the focus of it, at least that's what Haruki-chan's sources told her.

She really didn't want to be around when Sho heard about it. She didn't want to hear or see his childish rants. Ever since she told him that she couldn't get Kyouko's/Setsuka Heel's phone number, he'd been in an incredibly bad mood, and Mimori hadn't been helping much with her whining.

She threw her hands up and laughed as she came to a sudden stop. She shook her head. "What am I worried about? He's so full of himself, he'll never notice." She let out a chuckle and a sigh of relief. _Besides if it ever got too bad, he could always have his uncle dig up her information for him._ The man did have a incredible investigator on his team, and always seemed to bend over backwards to give him anything he wanted. She honestly didn't think it would be a problem, the girl was only playing hard to get, from what she could tell. Setsuka Heel would eventually come around and start dating Sho, they always did. Mimori was a prime example.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

"So... How did Kyouko-chan's shooting for Sho Fuwa's PV go?" Yashiro asked out of curiosity, hoping to pull some reaction from his charge over the first girl that Ren had actually shown interest in.

He turned to Yashiro hiding his surprise. He honestly didn't really think she would have anything to do with the ego-centric little VK punk. What he had seen of the boy, he wasn't very impressed. Not even with his _"Long Legs"_. He internally rolled his eyes at that memory. If he'd stumbled across the arrogant ass even four years ago, he probably would have broken those legs and wiped that stupid smirk off of his face, especially after having to listen to the _ding_ of Setsu's phone, from his multiple text messages, during their flight to London.

"Not sure, she really didn't mention anything about it. Must not have been that important." He casually straightened his sleeves. "You know how boring and routine those things can be." It really did irritate him that she said nothing, for some reason. Did she not want him to know? Why would she hide it from him? No, she really wasn't hiding anything from him. She just didn't think that it was important enough to discuss with him. He hardly ever spoke to her of such things, and it wasn't like they were when they were children, at least that was the impression he gave. Certainly they had got on enough on the flight to London, and during Fashion Week, but after he'd gone back to Japan, the only time they'd actually spent together when she returned, had been when he was sick and she'd taken care of him.

He turned back to Yashiro. "She would probably want to celebrate a successful filming." He commented.

Yashiro raised a brow and smirked, pulling out his planner. "Hmm, it's Friday evening. You really don't have anything scheduled, and Sawara-san told me that the filming for the other group she was doing a PV for, should be finished by now. Why don't you give her a call and invite her?" Yashiro held out his phone with a sheepish look. He'd tried to blackmail Ren into telling him about his almost non-existent relationship with said girl, and Ren's phone ended up as the victim of a hostage situation.

 _Ren pursed his lips in thought. She should be back by now or home, right?_ He nodded and borrowed Yashiro's phone and dialed. _**"I'm sorry, but I'm unavailable to take your call at the moment. Please leave your name, number and a brief message. I will return your call at the earliest convenience. If the matter is urgent, you may leave a message at the alternative number you were given. Thank you."**_ Ren/Kuon's brow furrowed. _Would she still be filming? Shouldn't she be done by now? Hmm, I'll just call Boss and ask if she's available._ He dialed again.

" _Hello Ren, what did you need?"_ Lory asked distractedly, he was obviously plodding through another of his love sims.

"I was wondering how Kyouko-chan's filming went." He opted to use her stage name, considering that they were basically in public at the moment and no one needed to know that she was Setsuka Heel, except him, Yashiro, and Lory.

" _Hmm, I suppose it went well."_ He sighed and mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that Shachou." He replied.

Lory sighed and groaned. _"I said... She won't be back until curfew at eleven. At least she better be if the boy wishes to continue being male."_ He groused.

"What? She went out with Fuwa again?! After all the trouble he gave her?" He ranted with an indescribable irritation surging up, and clawing at him.

" _What? No! Give her more credit than that boy! She's out with a close friend. A little too close, if you ask me..."_ He grumbled the last sentence.

"If that's the case, why did you let her go?" Kuon groused. At the moment, he felt every little bit Kuon.

Lory sighed. _"It is not up to me, if she chooses to remain friends with an ex-boyfriend. In fact, I encourage it. I despise how people break up most of the time, then never speak again. It isn't healthy and taints the love they once shared."_ Lory lectured. Not to mention the fact that she had so few that she trusted enough to actually date. Lory was actually a little pleased that she had someone that she could potentially accept at some point.

Kuon rolled his eyes. Lory was now going on and on about the virtues of keeping in touch with ex-lovers and keeping them as friends. Although, Kuon had been just as guilty of keeping in touch with exes, it irritated him to no end that she even had someone that could be filed into that category. Bit by bit, he was being schooled in the not so hidden history of his innocent little childhood friend. He'd honestly never even thought of her having a boyfriend and now he was being plagued by thoughts of how he had been as a teen, and how he knew other young men are at that age. _Why am I letting something like this bother me so much?_ He thought distractedly.

" _Kuon! Did you hear anything I said?"_ Lory barked.

"I'm sorry Boss. I was... Distracted. Could you repeat that?" He said a little sheepishly.

Lory sighed. _"I said for you not to forget to stop by tomorrow. You have a few contracts that you still haven't given your word on yet and Yashiro-kun needs to turn them in. Please do not forget, I also have that new item you requested."_ He told him, referring to the replacement phone he was holding onto for him.

Ren glanced at his manager. "I'll remind him. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." They ended the call and Kuon didn't feel any better about the conversation they'd had, now that it was planted firmly in his mind.

* * *

" _ **So? What do you think?"**_ Reino asked not really expecting her to agree on what he'd asked, but it was worth a shot.

She gave him a small smile and sighed. _**"I really can't right now Danny. You knew my schedule when we were dating. It hasn't gotten any less crowded. I took over fully just recently, and I really want to see what I'm capable of as an actress. I'm sorry."**_

He stroked her hair and kissed her temple as they stopped to pull into the long driveway of the Takarada Estate. _**"I understand. I suppose I kind of feel the same way about this singing thing. I want to see how far the band can get. I want to find something that my dad doesn't have his hands in. Something for me. Maybe not this, but who knows?"**_ He shrugged a little as they finally pulled in front of the mansion.

She glanced at him as she gathered her things. _**"So, how long are you going to be in Tokyo?"**_

He put the sleek black sports car in park and leaned back in his seat, staring at the ceiling. _ **"Not really sure. We have a couple of concerts, a few publicity circuits. You know, signing autographs and mini-concerts, a few photo-shoots. Miroku's working on some new music, so we'll probably be here for a few months."**_

She nodded. _**"Well, then I guess we'll see each other around."**_

He laughed. _**"Of course, I expect at least a few more dinners with you. Maybe a lunch or two."**_

She rolled her eyes. _**"You are a needy one, aren't you?"**_ She kissed him on the cheek. _**"Call me when you have the time. Maybe we can get together."**_ She winked at him and left the car before he could convince her to spend some _"quality time"_ with him. She had to admit, his kissing had improved and he was a very persuasive talker. She briefly wondered if he'd improved in other areas too. No, she most certainly didn't want to get tangled up with him again, while trying to launch an acting career. Well, maybe not get tangled up with him like _**that**_ again, period. She just didn't see him that way anymore. He was a good friend now, but not one she'd be willing to grant the special benefits he was interested in.

 _Well, at least she's back to calling me Danny, instead of Cedric again. That's one step in the right direction._ He thought with a little smirk as he watched her enter the mansion, admiring the view.


	27. Chapter 27

_**Chapter 27**_

* * *

The rather effeminate, young director stared at the screen of the portable DVD player, that his best friend had placed in front of him, in awe. The fallen angel had been very convincing and borderline terrifying. He looked up at Haruki, still a little mesmerized by what he'd seen. "Who is she? She'd be perfect for Mio. Has she done anything else?"

Haruki Asami giggled. "I knew you'd like her. She seemed very mature for her age. Her name is Kyouko and she did another for Vie Ghoul, but I couldn't get a copy of that one, for obvious reasons."

He briefly gave her a confused look, then understood. "Fuwa-san..."

She nodded. "Me, trying to get a hold of something like that... would be career suicide."

"I agree. Do you know where I'd be able to get a copy or at least a glimpse of her other work?" He asked a little curiously, pushing the player back to her and taking a sip of his tea.

She shook her head. "They're keeping it pretty protected. I do know it's pretty mature. Probably a little more than what you'd require of the Mio you're thinking of, but I was told she was a voodoo queen in it. Not really sure what something like that would entail though." She smiled and took a sip of her café mocha. "She did do the commercial for Kando's Curara. She was the blonde."

He nodded. "I'll take a look when it comes available. I'm looking forward to seeing it." All he really had to do was remember that her other video would be with Vie Ghoul and she'd be a voodoo queen in it. Well, she'd be THE voodoo queen. Hopefully, the shy, gentle director would be able to handle facing her afterward with his privileged knowledge.

* * *

"I just don't get it. Why would you participate in a PV for your stalker, Setsu?" He asked, trying to hold back his irritation. "Don't you think it would encourage him?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Sometimes we have to do things we don't like and associate with people that irritate us to get anywhere in this business, _**Ren**_. You should know that better than anyone. No, I did not do it as a favor to him. His manager, and Director Asami promised that I would be listed as Kyouko in the credits. They even acted like they didn't know who I was!" She explained.

"And what about you dating that singer from the other band? Do you really want to get caught up in something like that while you're just starting out here? Do you realize what people will start saying? They'll say that's how you got your jobs and your start here. That you slept your way through the ranks." _Oops, I did_ _ **not**_ _want for it to sound like_ _ **that**_ _or come out that way_. He really should have taken that back, but it was out in the ether and the milk had already been spilled.

She furrowed her brow and shot him a scathing glare, then calmly stood up from the chair she'd been sitting in. She grabbed her clothing from her locker, quietly went to the changing room, changed, never saying a word, not giving him one glance, and walked out of the LoveME room after storing her uniform and grabbing her purse.

Some say that silence is golden; however, at that moment Kuon couldn't disagree with that statement more. He knew he shouldn't have allowed himself to be so bothered by her having friends that were other men. It was really none of his business, but it had irritated him so damn much that any other male had seen her laugh, made her angry, hugged her or, possibly more. _Why am I thinking like this? She's only a child. She's not old enough to think about things like that._ He scolded himself silently, as he sat on the sofa with his head in his hands, raking his fingers through his hair.

He groaned a little. He didn't know what to make of her reaction. Instead of blowing up and expressing herself in her thick, angered accent, she quietly changed, and smoothly walked out like a large cat on the prowl, with her head held high like a queen. He was more than a little shocked, and didn't realize he'd compared her reaction to all the young women he'd ever dated. He expected her to be irrational, yelling at him or, angrily ranting at what he'd said, maybe even throw something at him, but she didn't.

He knew he was wrong, that it wasn't really any of his business concerning who she dated or whether she dated at all. Lory had already mentioned that they were only friends now, but the thought of her with a man other than him, really bothered him. _Why does this bother me so much? I want her to have other friends._ _Her friend Kanae doesn't bother me. Ugh! This is so frustrating!_

"...en, Ren, REN!" The male voice practically shouted at the distracted young man, that hadn't noticed the entrance of the other male in the room.

He looked up, surprised that he hadn't noticed that Yashiro had entered the room. "Ah... Sorry Yukihito. I was a little distracted." He explained.

Yashiro looked at him with curiosity. "Did you find Kyouko-chan?" He noticed the brief wince and decided to wait for Ren to tell him what had happened. His charge had been acting a little more guarded than usual. He suspected it had something to do with her doing that PV with Fuwa.

Ren nodded and then let out a small sigh as he stood, disguising it as an exhale upon standing. He straightened his clothing. "How much time do we have before that meeting with Director Ogata?"

Yashiro smirked a little and shook his head. Ren was obviously avoiding the subject, and he wondered exactly what had happened. "We still have about an hour." He paused and decided to do a little probing. "So where's Kyouko-chan? I thought you were going to offer her a ride."

He inwardly groaned a little. "She has a ride." He answered, remembering how she'd left.

Yashiro nodded and looked up at the clock on the wall. "Well, we should probably grab something to eat. We won't have the chance later." _Hopefully, I can find out what that reaction was later._ He thought as he followed his charge out of the garishly pink room.

* * *

Lory Takarada shook his head with a smirk on his face, as he watched the security footage from the LoveME Section. _Tsk, Tsk... I would have thought with all of the young ladies you've had in your life, Kuon, you would have learned by now._ He grimaced when he heard Kuon's words, and saw Setsuka's reaction. He'd never seen her so angry. She had been so angry that silence, and indifference were her only reaction. Lory had never really seen her that way; although, there had been one other that had, and that was one of the many reasons that she would never step back into a relationship with him again, but that wasn't a fiasco that anyone else really needed to know about.

* * *

 _ **FLASHBACK**_

" _ **Yer mad as a box a frogs if ya think I'll ever shag ya again after seeing you wit 'at chav."**_ She told him calmly. He knew she was angry, but she just sounded so calm. Had he been an outsider, he would have thought that it was a friendly conversation, with the tone of her voice. However, this conversation was far from it and it was the death knell of his relationship with Setsuka Heel, a beautiful, incredible, mature for her age girl that he'd known since he was 13 and started dating her when she'd turned 15, getting to know her for four years, and dating her for almost seven months.

" _ **It was just a photo Setsu. She tripped. I was helping her."**_ He tried to convince her, even if he knew he'd been caught.

She rolled her eyes, picked up her things and started to leave the restaurant. _**"Tripped an fell on yer John Thomas..."**_ She commented and left, not showing an ounce of emotion.

It was a while of the silent treatment, not that she meant for it to be that way. She just didn't have anything to say to him, and he seemed happy enough. Besides she was almost 16 and she had more important things to think about. She would be leaving for Japan soon, and didn't need the extra hassle of a clingy boyfriend to worry about. It seemed as though nothing ever worked out the way she'd wanted.

Imagine her surprise when she received that phone call just before leaving for Japan. _**"I'm really sorry Setsu."**_ He sighed tiredly. _**"I just really didn't realize how good I had it with you until it was over... Until I couldn't see you anymore. Is there any way that we can forget all of this and start over?"**_ He asked almost pathetically.

 _I will not allow him to irritate me._ She thought, gnawing on her tongue to prevent herself from saying what she was thinking. _If sorry fixed things, there wouldn't be a reason for hell. No... It was a little my fault too, I shouldn't have let him in like that._ She sighed. _**"I'm sorry Cedric... I really don't want a serious relationship this close to leaving. I'll be taking over Mum and Da's businesses that they left me and I won't have the time."**_ She told him, deciding not to even think of how she'd ended their relationship. It was better this way. His betrayal had been a blessing in disguise and taught her quite a bit about mature relationships; at least the somewhat dysfunctional ones. It had also aided her in the decision to distance herself once and for all in the romance arena. Thinking about it, she decided that she was really bad at lovey-dovey things. She felt stupid for even thinking that something like that could fill that empty feeling she constantly had.

" _ **Oh... Can we still be friends at least? I really miss talking to you."**_ He did sound a little pathetic.

She sighed inwardly in resignation. _**"Bloody hell, I must have lost the plot. Fine, but don't get it into your head that it's anything more than that."**_ She warned.

He chuckled a little wryly. _**"Yeah..."**_ He was silent for a moment. _I'll try not to._ _**"I won't."**_

 _ **END FLASHBACK**_

He rolled over and punched his pillow. _**"I shouldn't even be thinking of things like this."**_ He groaned a little. _She'll never trust me enough for that again. I should just consider myself lucky she still wanted to be friends after all of that, and she's willing to call me Danny again._ He thought as he stared at the darkened wall of his bedroom. She was slowly accepting him into her life again, slipping with his name every now and then, and she did give him the little peck on the cheek after their little date, not to mention the little kiss he stole earlier. _At least she didn't slap me._ He chuckled.

 _Perhaps there is still something there?_ He shook his head at the thought. _No, there never really was anything there._ _Not love anyway._ She dated him out of curiosity, and he dated her to find out more about those little creatures she always had following her around. They would never be more than friends and he knew it, but that didn't mean they couldn't hook up every now and then for a little stress relief, and companionship. He grinned mischievously at the thought.


	28. Chapter 28

_**Chapter 28**_

* * *

He honestly wasn't sure what irritated him to distraction the most. The fact that the talk shows and tabloids had her paired up with Sho Fuwa again, due to her participation in his not-yet-released PV or, the fact that she'd been seen on _"dates"_ out and about several times with whom he knew for a _**fact**_ was her _**ex**_ -boyfriend. Certainly Lory had cleared it up with the media that Kyouko was not dating either of them. Oh, and by the way, the tabloids had made the comparisons and deduced that Kyouko-chan had a remarkable resemblance to the 16 year-old international model/entrepreneur, Setsuka Heel, long chestnut or blonde hair, and golden or blue eyes aside. Not that the revelation actually bothered her. She'd just wanted to see how long she could go incognito until anyone mentioned the similarities. Although, she did keep them on their toes by switching her hair and eyes every couple of months. He wondered if she got as much crap from Ms. Woods as he did about it.

Kuon groaned a little and turned off his television. "I don't know why I bother watching that garbage." He leaned back in his seat and took another sip of whiskey. His eyebrow twitched. "I warned her about this happening, but she wouldn't listen. Now everyone knows she's Setsu. Damn-it." They really weren't pressing the issue, they were only guessing at this point, but he had noticed lately that all of this about her was bothering him more than he realized, especially since she'd been avoiding him and ignoring his calls. _Wow, she really knows how to cut a guy out of her life if she wants to_. He was starting to feel very insecure in his knowledge of women.

To be perfectly honest, he'd never been treated with the could shoulder technique. Most of the females he knew, young and old, were constantly falling all over themselves to get his attention. Hell, even his ex-girlfriends kept in touch with him in hopes of getting back together one day. Not that he realized that small fact. All he really knew, is that he had a pretty extensive little black book filled with the names and phone numbers of his female _"friends"_. There were very few that got angry with him, and they most certainly didn't have her reaction to him. This was really something he wasn't comfortable with. She was making him feel like a ghost, the invisible man or, an inexperienced teen-ager again.

* * *

"Just sign right here..." He looked up at her and smiled. "Congratulations on your first major role, Kyouko-chan." Sawara-san told her as he filed her contract, pulled out the script and the novel. "Director Ogata wanted you to have this so you would have a better idea on what you would be filming and portraying." He finished as he handed them to her.

Setsuka smiled widely. "Thank you Sawara-san. I really appreciate this." She told him excitedly as she took the items and placed them in her bag. She could hardly wait to get home and read the book. It was sweet of him to even make sure the name of her character was highlighted in the script.

"You're welcome. Don't forget to read the novel and the script thoroughly. There should be enough information there for you to get a grasp on Mio." He reminded her as she left.

She nodded and waved. "Thank you again Sawara-san." She called back as she left for the elevator. This had been her second to last stop of the day, and it had been a good one. Now all she needed to do was try and convince Ten to dye her hair back to black again for Dark Moon. She knew for certain the poor woman was going to go off on a rant, she'd just had her hair done from the chestnut back to the blonde a couple of months ago for the Curara commercial, and the PV for that annoying ass. She shivered a little in disgust. She supposed that Ten would probably be thrilled at the prospect of her having black hair again. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to tolerate having gold eyes though.

She glanced at the script peeking out of her bag and sighed. _I suppose I need to stop being so stubborn and make up with him. I really want to tell him about my first real part_. She thought as she walked through the lobby distractedly. _I really hate not talking to him._ She sighed and stopped, staring at the floor.

" _Who is that girl?"_

" _I don't know. She looks a little like that Kyouko girl from the LoveME Section."_

" _How does Tsuruga-san know her?"_

" _How rude, she doesn't even notice him."_

" _She really should pay better attention."_

" _Why would_ _ **he**_ _want to talk to_ _ **her**_ _?"_

Unfortunately she was too distracted to pay attention to the whispers. She was still mentally going over her schedule, wondering if she would have time to talk to Kuon and straighten things out. His mistake was nothing like Cedric's and she'd somewhat forgiven him. She sighed. _I suppose it's time to stop being so stubborn._ She glanced up to see what the commotion was about, and found that the subject of her thoughts was coming towards her.

 _No, no, no, no, no! Too soon! I still haven't figured out what I want to say to him! Bollocks!_ She looked around for a quick escape. _Damn these heels! Ladies Room! Yes, that'll work._ So, off she was with Kuon in hot pursuit, only to be stopped at the door.

Shoulders slumped in defeat and a heavy sigh, facing the Ladies Room door with her hand firmly on the handle. _"Kuon..."_ She whispered, feeling his warm breath on the side of her face and ear.

" _Setsu... Are you avoiding me?"_ He just couldn't help himself. The predator/prey pursuit just kind of pulled out the thrill for him. So much so, he didn't notice that he almost had her wrapped in his arms; however, his manager certainly did, and so did almost everyone that had been watching the little scenario in the lobby.

He was distracting. Not only did she have to think on what he'd said to her, she had to try and think of what she wanted to say to him about the _Silent Treatment_. She pretty much knew that she might have overreacted just a bit, but so did he regarding that pest and her friendship with Danny. Her mind was blank of any thoughts on the subject.

He sighed, and his warm breath made her shiver. _"Setsu, I'm sorry."_ Her head shot up, she cocked her head and glanced at him in surprise. _"I had no business saying anything regarding your relationships."_ His arm dropped to his side. _"I-I just don't like what they were saying about it all."_

She groaned a little. _"Papa already told them. It's just stupid tabloid gossip. I thought you would know how I felt about all of that daft nonsense. I told you when we were in London, when Niklaus kept bothering me to go out with him."_ She reminded him and he sighed with a nod.

"Ren! Wh-What are you doing? Here is not the appropriate place to carry on a conversation with a young lady." Yashiro scolded.

"I was apologizing." He muttered.

Yashiro shook his head and sighed in frustration. "That is most certainly not what it seems like. You need to find somewhere else to do that, unless you'd like something else to apologize to her for."

Kuon nodded, and put a little distance between him and the blushing beauty. "Sorry. Would you like to join us for lunch?" He offered.

 _I don't think I've ever seen him behave that way with anyone._ Yashiro thought as they made their way to the parking garage. _It almost seems like he's jealous._ He glanced at the pair and chuckled inwardly. _This could be interesting._

Kuon wasn't sure why, but the thought of her not dating anyone had brought a sort of relief to him. He wanted to kick himself for thinking that she would actually date Fuwa or Reino in a serious capacity, when she wouldn't even go out with _"Nicky"_. _Why does it even matter?_ He froze a little at the thought. _It's not like we're in a relationship. I shouldn't even concern myself with the men in her life._

* * *

" _ **Bollocks! I wanted to tell him about my new drama..."**_ She groused as she took her shower. _**"But no, he had to distract me with his..."**_ She shivered. _**"his delicious smell, and his hot breath on my neck."**_ She groaned and turned the water to the coldest she could stand. _**"Brrr..."**_ She shook, and turned her back to the water and patted her face to get rid of the blush in her cheeks. She sighed, turning off the shower and grabbing her towel to dry. _**"I suppose I'll have to wait to tell him about Mio."**_ She sighed. _**"Well, at least we're speaking to each other again."**_


	29. Chapter 29

_**Chapter 29**_

* * *

Well, she couldn't deny that Director Ogata was one of the most interesting people she'd met in Japan so far. He seemed so effeminate and frail, but it seemed as though once he found out she had accepted the part for Mio, and _"Ren"_ had bulldozed Papa Lory into allowing him to take the part for Katsuki, he was so enthusiastic and determined.

" _ **I didn't know Director Ogata offered you the part of Mio."**_ He commented after he'd dropped Yuki off at home and headed in the direction of the Takarada Estate. He had been heading there anyway to visit Maria. She'd invited him to dinner, in her covert effort to matchmake her Oba-chan with Ren-san. She'd seen how he kept looking at her, and how her Oba-chan really needed someone like him in her life. Maria was starting to steer away from her aspiration to marry Ren-sama. The age difference just seemed too insurmountable, and she'd met this interesting boy at school that had a couple of colorful tarantulas she'd only seen in books.

" _ **Uh-huh..."**_ She mumbled, staring out the passenger side window.

He glanced over at her and back at the road. _**"Something wrong?"**_

She shook her head. _**"Not really... I've just been trying to squeeze in the time to finish up the book. I'm not particularly fond of Mio Hongo. I honestly never thought I would get picked for someone so incredibly malicious. I don't even know where to start with her."**_ She turned to look at him. _**"You don't think I'm that way, do you Kuon?"**_ She paused and stared at her hands. _**"Do I really come off as a cold-hearted bitch like her?"**_

He chuckled and smiled softly. He shook his head and sighed. _**"Not even remotely Setsu. He did say he picked you because of your fallen angel. You're an actress. I'm sure he knows you were acting the part."**_ He told her reassuringly. _**"I haven't seen the PV yet, but I'm sure he made his decision based on what he saw in the PV, not what he thinks you might be like. It's very difficult to portray a convincing antagonist. I'm sure he was impressed with your work or he most likely wouldn't have offered you the part in the first place."**_

She sighed. _ **"I know you're right. It's just irritating that Mio wasn't a little more like Mizuki. It would have been nice to play someone at least a little less evil."**_ She groused.

He chuckled. _**"Read the book again and think on it. I'm sure you'll find that Mio has at least a few redeeming qualities to her."**_ He told her as they pulled in through the main gate and up the drive.

* * *

She was completely gobsmacked by the idiot ranting at her during the photo shoot for his single cover and insert. She narrowed her eyes at him, wrinkled her cute nose and started to walk away. He didn't merit her time. Besides she'd known Danny a lot longer than she'd known this idiot technically, and he had no right to complain about who she worked with. She was an actress, it was her job.

"Don't you walk away while I'm talking to you!" He yelled as he grabbed her shoulder roughly and spun her around, shocking everyone present.

That was it! _**"Bloody 'ell! I've 'ad about enough of yer shit ta last me a lifetime, ya wanker! Git ya grubby 'ands off!"**_ She warned him, grabbing his hand from her shoulder, twisting it around, and shoving it away. _**"Who do ya think ya are ta tell me who I can an' cannot work for? I've known Danny a 'ell of a lot longer 'an yoo. So bugger off! Ya may be used ta pushin' aroun' 'at lit'l bird ova there,"**_ (She pointed to Mimori) _ **"but you'll not find me so easy deal wit'..."**_ She smirked at him. _**"Unless ya fancy singin' soprano."**_ Honestly? She'd said everything so sweetly, and in such an even tone, deceptively calm even. She really didn't sound angry to him at all, but if Kuon had been there, he'd have been quickly extracting her from the situation and probably pounding the little punk into dirt after the first sentence.

Sho looked around a little confused, with brow furrowed, and rubbing his wrist. "Can anyone tell me what the _ **fuck**_ she just said?"

Ruto finally stepped forward and between the pair, after deciphering what she'd said. He needed to put an end to this situation quickly before Fuwa's testicles ended up being a casualty of Setsuka Heel's boot. "To put it politely Fuwa-san, I believe that she asked you to leave her alone. In so many words."

Haruki Asami, and Aki Shoko finally recovered from being stunned to silence. "Sho... I think you should step away and leave Kyoko-chan alone. She doesn't appreciate being talked to the way you did."

 _That was putting it mildly._ Asami looked at her friend with an eyebrow cocked. "Really? You aren't going to tell him the rest?"

Shoko shook her head slightly. "It's better that I wait. I honestly don't want to deal with that demonic face he makes again. He has an interview after this."

Asami sighed and waved her off as she walked away, shaking her head. _I am so glad this is over._ She just needed to remember not to _**ever**_ pair Sho with another female with a strong personality, he might not come out of it safely with his piggish attitude towards women.

As they sat in the limo, she sighed out and grabbed a small bottle of water from the mini-fridge. Ruto glanced over at her as the driver took them to her next destination. "Setsu... are you going to be okay?"

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She nodded. "I'll be fine Uncle. I'm sorry for losing my temper back there. He was so rude, and was acting like he owned me or something. What a pig. I just don't know what that little bird Mimori sees in someone like that. I _**almost**_ pity her." She sighed and took another drink.

He nodded in agreement. "Our's is not to judge, Setsu. She must see something in him that she likes or she wouldn't be so enamored by him."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose you're right. Although, I can't possibly imagine what on Earth that one quality could be." She giggled.

* * *

"How dare she talk back to me like that! I'll file a complaint against her. She is through!" He ranted after Aki told him exactly what Setsuka had said, after about an hour of him nagging her over it.

Aki groaned. "Sho, I have to tell you right now... That would be a phenomenally bad idea on your part."

"And why the hell would that be!" He groused.

She stood up and grabbed a drink from the table in his dressing room. "First off, you started it all by ranting like a lunatic about her starring in Vie Ghoul's PV. Which, by the way, you aren't even supposed to know about! Secondly, you manhandled her in front of witnesses! Then you started screaming in her face. What reaction did you expect? She's not like that girl you sent back to Kyoto or Mimori. Judging from her speech, and her reaction, she is not going to just sit back and allow you to bully her into submission! She doesn't know you. She doesn't care who you are, and she really doesn't like you very much at all. You have been harassing her via phone, acting like you own her because she did one job for you, and went out on one date with you almost a year ago. Stay away from Setsuka Heel or Kyouko or whomever she chooses to be. She is bad news for your career if she decides to get her father involved. Which wouldn't be so surprising after today!" She finished and stomped off to the ladies room to calm herself.

No, that isn't something that Setsuka Heel would do. She was not the type to go running to Daddy after every little disagreement that she'd had with someone else. She preferred to take care of things personally and with her own unique flair.

Sho rolled his eyes and flopped lazily onto the sofa. "Pfft. Whatever. She can't touch me. She's a nobody in Japan..."


	30. Chapter 30

_**Chapter 30**_

* * *

Honestly, she really didn't know where to start with portraying Mio. Well, she had the wounded, angry, and vindictive part down, but she still had a bit of a problem with the body language. Mio Hongo was a tightly coiled little _"snake princess"_ ready to strike at any moment. Setsuka Heel was a laid back, relatively _"low tension"_ little rebel, that didn't give a crap what anyone thought of her. Most of the time. She wasn't so sure lately though. Having to deal with the infantile behavior of Fuwa, and Kuon before he apologized, then her little horn-dog Cedric really wasn't making things any easier. One she wanted to punch in the face, another she wanted to slap sometimes, and the other she wanted to neuter like a proper dog. She never dreamed that she would have three men in her life, so completely emotionally stunted.

" _ **I honestly don't know why you're calling me and telling me this, Danny."**_ She sighed tiredly into the phone, rubbing her brow, as he basically gave her an itinerary on what he'd be doing the next two weeks, and where he would be going.

He pouted a little as he spoke to her. _"I just thought you should know that I'll be in LA for the next couple of weeks."_

She rolled her eyes. _**"Fine, you've told me. I'm not your nanny, you don't owe me any explanations. Have fun and I'll see you when you get back."**_ She said nonchalantly.

 _I guess she really does only see me as a friend._ He groused inwardly. _"Well... Then I guess I better go... You want me to tell my parents you said hi?"_

" _ **If you want."**_ She laughed a little. _**"Although, they would probably rather not hear from me after everything."**_

He chuckled and shook his head. _"Are you kidding me? My mom threatened to take me to Buster's vet and have me fixed, and Dad called me a fuck-up for what happened."_ He paused a little. _And he was right._

She sighed. _**"I... I really don't want to talk about that anymore. We weren't meant for that kind of thing between us. So let's just forget about it and move on."**_

" _Yeah, you're right. Well, I'll see you when I get back. Try to stay out of trouble and let me know if Fuwa gives you any crap."_ He may be finally accepting the fact that they'd never be the same again, but that didn't mean he was going to stand by and let that ass bother her.

She giggled. _**"I'm not really worried about him. Papa and Uncle have been pretty overprotective lately, and he'd never get past Maria."**_

He shivered. _"Okay."_ That little princess gave him the creeps with her lovely little collection of various insects and arachnids. He almost felt sorry for anyone that tried to harass the people she decided to protect, from what Setsu had told him.

They finished their call, and went about their day. She to take her finals at school, and he to catch his flight to Los Angeles.

* * *

She wasn't sure why she thought she could eat her lunch in peace, at school. There were far too many Fuwa sycophants for her tastes, especially of the female dog in heat variety, by the pet name of Poochie.

"I don't know what he sees in you." Her high pitched, childish voice chirped.

Setsuka groaned a little inwardly, and decided to focus on the schedule she was going over for her day. She only had a couple of more classes to take tests for and it would all finally be behind her, she could then focus on her businesses and fledgling career, without the worry of high school drama anymore. _Thank god for graduating early._ She relished in the thought.

"I'm talking to you." Mimori demanded her attention.

Setsuka languidly looked up with a perfectly plucked eyebrow cocked, and gave a small sigh. "To be honest... I really don't see what you see in him. He treats you like dirt, and he obviously uses your feelings to get what he wants from you. Personally, I would have dumped him a long time ago, and moved on to someone that treated me with respect." She sighed tiredly. "But... I suppose that's the difference between you and me." She finished, packed her things up and walked away, leaving a very stunned, frozen, and thought filled Mimori to take in the words of advice Setsuka Heel had tossed her way.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean you won't do anything about her behavior or attitude. She treated me like I was just some common singer off the street!" He complained into the phone.

Takenori Sawara just sighed. He knew they existed, and he tried his best to avoid divas with overly inflated egos as much as possible. At the moment he was thanking his lucky stars, he was employed at LME. "Fuwa-san, I have been informed by sources other than Kyouko-chan of the events that took place at the photo-shoot. I can assure you that her reaction was acceptable regarding your behavior. If you like, I would be more than happy to update and bring the presidents of LME and Akatoki together to work things out... I'm sure there are many more things other than this, that need to be addressed. Although, I'm certain you wouldn't want the fact that Kyouko-chan had to change her phone number due to your multiple phone calls and text messages to her to get out..." He threatened in a friendly voice.

Sho sat silently. "I..."

Takenori shook his head. "I'm very sorry Fuwa-san, but this is not going to work out the way you had intended. I will warn you, should you decide to bring any of this to light via media of any kind, I assure you that you will not be happy with the results."

 _ **CLICK...**_

Takenori hung up when the dial-tone signaled the end of the call after Sho quickly hung up from his dissatisfying call. He shook his head. This is something that Ruto and Lory needed to be made aware of, before the boy was able to open his mouth at an interview and cause another wave of lies about Setsu. He definitely wondered now, if Lory had foreseen this type of behavior in the boy when he came to audition for LME. If one were to ask, the answer would have been yes. He definitely saw it the moment he heard and saw Fuwa in the hall, hitting on his goddaughter and then insulting her because she wasn't interested in him.

* * *

He sat in the lounge, grousing, and staring at his phone. The man had threatened him. It was her fault the way everything went down. She's the one that betrayed him by doing that PV for Vie Ghoul, and who the hell was this Danny guy she'd mentioned? He thought he should probably say something to Shoko-san about all of this, but if he did that, then she would know that he'd been calling around again, trying to track down Setsuka/Kyouko. Something she'd warned him about many times.

Nope, he was not about to spill a word of it to anyone. What they didn't know, wouldn't hurt anything or anyone. They couldn't touch him anyway, Akatoki wouldn't allow it. He was their biggest money-maker, and at the top of the charts. He was number six on the bachelor list too. They couldn't afford for anything to happen to their meal-ticket. He smirked at the thought of being at the top, and untouchable like that. Well, on top only in Japan. He really wasn't thinking of the bigger, international picture. The bigger picture that seemed to include one Setsuka Heel, Cedric Daniel Bennett (Reino), and Ren Tsuruga. For them, he was merely an annoyance at any given moment. He also really didn't realize that the two young men in her life, and several others, would be more than happy to bury him, and his career so deeply in darkness that he would definitely never see the light of International Stardom.


	31. Chapter 31

_**Chapter 31**_

* * *

She knew he was a good actor, she'd seen a few of his dramas and such; however, she realized the same thing that Papa Lory had, the moment he bent down to help Itsumi pick up the broken teacup. He was trying to puzzle out how to act like a young man trying to avoid a forbidden relationship, and failing miserably. He kept doing the exact same things that Uncle Kuu had done in the same scene many years ago. The confused, and distressed look on his face, instantly told her that he'd never really been in love. Sure he'd had girlfriends, but none of them had ever been off-limits. He'd never had that silent crush that one pines for, that one-sided love, and she certainly had no idea how to help him.

One would think, that at a private boarding school her entire life, she would have lived the privileged life of a protected princess, but she still had that beautiful array of life experiences that came with being an older teen. There were little moments of a crush here, and there. The disappointment when one finds out the subject of said crush wasn't exactly what was originally envisioned, and the one-sided affection that went along with it. She'd also experienced the excitements of lust, the rush of a forbidden relationship, the worry about being caught, the stupidity of falling for someone and being betrayed by them, and finally the resignation of just giving up and accepting that she wasn't meant to actually have someone that would cherish, and respect her the rest of her life as she did them.

Honestly, she really didn't know how to help him. She wondered if he even knew what love actually felt like. Would he even know what to look for? She knew about the initial fluttery feeling that started in the center of the soul and spread whenever you would see them smile, even if the smile wasn't directed at you. She knew about the breathless, dizzying feeling that came when they would direct that smile towards you, and deign to actually talk to you. Whether Danny knew it or not, she did love him at the beginning, before he'd betrayed her trust. He had just been too stupid to see it himself, due to her not being the type of person to make a fool of herself for him like the other girls in his past. He had been the one to think she'd only dated him out of curiosity, and that was his biggest mistake. He hadn't observed her correctly. He honestly didn't know her as well as he thought he did.

What she was doing or, going to do at the moment, she wasn't sure was a very good idea. He certainly wouldn't discuss his difficulties with her. After all, he'd mentioned more than once their age difference, and pointed out that she was still a child. So she firmly believed that he would never tell her exactly the problem, much less take advice from her. It was stupid that he would listen to a _bloody_ chicken, before her. She honestly didn't even know why she was doing this. Was it because he was actually having problems or, was it the fact that he was at a hurdle in his career, and it was definitely something that would prevent him from his goal? It was something that could easily prevent him from going back home to Uncle Kuu, and Auntie Juli. That was something that she couldn't tolerate. That ass had living parents that were wasting away, worrying about him, loving him from afar, and the _bloody wanker_ was sitting in a hall at TBM sulking about a _sodding_ job! She wanted to wrap her feathered hands around his stupid neck and squeeze. Well, at least until she heard that pathetic sigh emanate from him.

As they sat together, one incognito and the other in a chicken costume, they were able to discover that he was indeed in love. Not that he could have figured it out on his own. He was just too stubborn. He had felt all of those familiar feelings for a girl. The fluffiness, the butterflies, the somewhat forbidden thoughts, but he just didn't know how to identify them, until _Bo_ had pointed them out to him.

"I really don't see what the problem is. If you like her, you should just ask her out." Bo told him in what seemed like an exasperated tone.

Ren sighed. "I can't, she's too young."

Setsuka was a little shocked inwardly and hid it well. Was it a little girl or something? Kind of creepy. "How much is too young?" She asked, not being able to get the image of Maria out of her head.

"She's four years younger than me." He confessed.

She rolled her eyes and wanted to kick herself for even thinking that way. "Four years? Are you kidding me? That's really not much younger than you and most girls mature more quickly than boys anyway. So it really shouldn't be a problem for you. You had me worried for a moment." She turned a glance toward him. "You do know that a girl can get married in Japan at 16? She would only need her parent's permission to do so." She informed him, not that she'd ever thought of it. It was just that Lory had mentioned this fact, and constantly rambled off the ages of consent of different countries all over the world to her since she was 12, among other little _**"Love Facts"**_ that he always sent to her in their emails, texts, and quoted entertainingly in their phone calls.

He chuckled. "You sound like my boss." He shook his head. "I really don't plan on doing anything like that. Having a serious relationship... It's not... I just can't have something like that right now or, ever. Not where I am." He explained.

She didn't know why, but it kind of hurt to hear him say something like that. She wondered if he meant that he couldn't have a serious relationship while he was in Japan or, if he meant that he couldn't have one at this point in his life. Either way, it was terrible. She knew that she couldn't and why, people died around her or, just got bored with her, but Kuon... Well, he was a sweet guy, he was caring, and she was pretty sure he wouldn't cheat on whomever he decided to be with. An image of a face she hadn't seen in a very long time popped from her memory. _I wonder if that's why... Could he be blaming himself?_ She pondered. She stored the thought for later analysis.

"I'm not saying marry her. I'm just telling you that it wouldn't be a bad thing if you at least talked to her and got to know her. Who knows? You might end up with a good friend at least. She doesn't have to know that you like her like that." She advised.

He sighed. "I suppose you're right. I guess it wouldn't hurt."

* * *

 _NO! No, no, no, no,no! This cannot happen! I cannot allow myself to fall into that stupid trap again!_ She panicked the moment he caught her in his arms, as she fell in his kitchen, during their little practice session to help him find his Katsuki.

The way he looked at her and asked if she'd ever been kissed. _Of course I have you bloody idiot!_ Her mind screamed, and she wriggled her way out of his arms. _**"I think I should go..."**_ She said calmly, and stepped behind her mask of cold indifference.

" _ **Setsu! I'm sorry. I just..."**_ He started.

She glanced up at him as she gathered her things, and shook her head. _**"No, it's okay. I understand. You were still in character. Right?"**_

He chuckled wryly. _**"Yeah... Sometimes I get a little carried away. Sorry."**_ He apologized again, thankful that she had mentioned the excuse. He was quite impressed, it's what he'd planned on telling her if things got out of hand. _**"Do you need a ride home?"**_

" _ **If you don't mind."**_ She answered a little sheepishly. Honestly, she really hadn't planned that far ahead. She'd only thought of getting the hell out of his apartment before she ended up doing something incredibly stupid, like give him an answer to his previous question. In detail... with a full written synopsis, and diagrams... perhaps even a demonstration of her talents. Not that she was bragging, but Danny never had any complaints. _Well, maybe he did..._ She sighed inwardly, and flicked that thought into the cosmos.

He grabbed his keys, put on his shoes, and they headed out the door. The car ride had been uncomfortably silent the entire way. He, with thoughts on how he had been unable to control himself, and she, with thoughts on how quickly everything had gone south. It seemed to her, that he was using her as a temporary fill-in for the girl he'd discovered he was in love with.

She sighed. _Danny all over again... Can't have her, so he'll just end up using me until he can. Then he'll come crawling back after he discovers she isn't what he thought, and I'll pull myself together, then start the process_ _ **all**_ _over again._ _Not happening._ She allowed the negative thoughts, and misconceptions to swirl around in her mind as he drove her home. By the time they entered the gates of the mansion, she was broodingly silent, internally livid, and she just didn't want to have anything to do with the human race at the moment. However, it would have been rude not to thank him for the ride, and wish him luck.

" _ **Thank you for the ride, and I'm looking forward to seeing your Katsuki."**_ She murmured with her hand on the door-handle before exiting the car.

He nodded mutely. _**"You're welcome... I'll see..."**_ He heard the door open, and shut a little harder than it should have, had she not been angry. He winced a little. _**"Sorry..."**_ He mumbled at the empty passenger's seat, and sighed.


	32. Chapter 32

_**Chapter 32**_

* * *

This situation was even worse than before. If he didn't know how busy she was, he would think that she was avoiding him. As it stood, when she wasn't filming for Dark Moon, she was out of town. He'd heard that she was taking modeling shoots, and commercial recordings outside of Tokyo. She had been all over Japan: Hokkaido, Nagoya, Okinawa, Kyoto, Osaka. Anywhere, but Tokyo unless it was for filming Dark Moon. He had a hunch that she would probably be in New York or Paris at the moment if she had the opportunity, and the time.

If one were to ask her, she would have been honest about it. She most certainly wanted nothing whatsoever, to do with Kuon. She didn't wish to deal with Lory's prying questions, and she certainly didn't need Maria hounding her on why she was avoiding Ren-sama. The dangerous feeling, she allowed to slip through the cracks, was infinitely worse than it'd been with Danny. It was painful, stifling, and crushing. She'd awaken to headaches in the morning, a tightening in her chest every time she'd see his image, and a crushing sense of betrayal and defeat when a female would talk about him.

Danny was finally back in town and she wondered if she should reap the benefits of their unusual friendship she'd denied him when all of this started, just to get Kuon off her mind. She needed something to distract her, and work most certainly **wasn't** doing it's job. The small thought of doing something like that to Reino would be using him, but she just couldn't find it in her heart to care at the moment. It wasn't like he would mind anyway, he was the one to suggest it initially.

" _ **So... Dinner and dessert, My little Voodoo Queen?"**_ He smirked at the beauty he had trapped against the wall, between his arms, in the hall of the building where they'd all had their interviews that morning.

She smiled sexily. _**"Dinner, definitely; dessert, maybe."**_ She cooed, moistening her lips. _Better the devil I know..._

He chuckled. _**"Can I know why you changed your mind? Was it my good looks or, my irresistible charm?"**_ He murmured into her ear.

She rolled her eyes. _**"Honesty?"**_

He nodded.

" _ **Stress relief."**_ She told him mischievously, and brutally honest.

He laughed. _**"I guess I can work with that. The benefits?"**_

She nodded, feeling a little ashamed now. _**"Yeah... Sorry."**_ _Maybe I shouldn't be thinking of doing something like this._

He shook his head. _**"Nah... But you do deserve better than that. Are you sure you want something like that?"**_

She looked up at the ceiling, and sighed. _**"I don't know... Can we just wing it?**_ "

He nodded, and pursed his lips in thought. _**"How about we just have dinner, and go from there? You can tell me tonight what's**_ **really** _ **bothering you."**_ He suggested as he pulled her into a hug.

She nodded. _**"Thank you, Danny."**_ She whispered.

Dear lord how he wanted to seal her lips with his, and plunge into the comfortable, sweet warmth of her mouth. _Not the time or place... Later.._.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

He was completely disgusted at the little display he'd just witnessed. Well, a little jealous too, but that certainly wouldn't be something that he'd admit anytime soon. That ass was all over her like a dog in heat, and she was just happily accepting it.

No, that's not how it really was, but the young man in question had never really been in a serious or relatively mature relationship, and honestly didn't know what he was looking at. What he was looking at were two people that had known each other for years, dated a little, were very intimately acquainted with each other, and if certain childhood friends weren't careful, would soon be back in each other's arms making up for lost time.

What he thought he'd seen was a girl he'd expressed interest in, who'd rejected him fully, who was whoring around with the competition after doing a PV for him, and he felt a strong sense of jealousy and the desire to possess her completely. No one had ever denied him anything in his life, as far as girls and women. He was not about to allow her to be the first one. He didn't care about what Shoko or, Asami told him. He didn't care that the girl herself had essentially threatened his reproductive abilities. All he cared about when he pulled her into his dressing room was the fact that she was something that he was going to have, whether she wanted it that way or not.

Not once did the thought, that she didn't wish to be near him, enter his mind as he kissed her. It's what all the women he knew wanted from him. He pulled back with the female still struggling and cursing in his arms.

She was pissed. In fact, this was the angriest she'd ever been. She wiped her mouth and spat on the floor. "You bloody, filthy, disgusting PIG! How dare you! Who the fuck do you think you are?"

He smirked at her. "Just thought I'd show you what you're missing."

"Don't flatter yourself. I'd rather kiss a toilet than you." She hissed, making a point to remember to say everything in Japanese so that he'd understand her fully.

 _ **SLAP!**_

"Sho!" Aki Shoko had no idea what she'd interrupted, but she knew it couldn't have been good. The girl was clearly pissed off, and Sho had just slapped her. All she knew is she'd heard a female yelling in his dressing room and then saw him slap her when she walked in. "What's going on here?"

He glanced at Shoko. "Nothing, she's just unhappy that I won't give her what she wants."

" _ **For you to leave me the bloody hell alone, you arrogant jackass!"**_ She turned to Shoko. "Do not think for a moment that this is settled." She turned to the two security guards that had tagged along when they'd heard the commotion. "Thanks for doing your job." She said sarcastically and left.

Sho looked at the two confused men as chuckled. "Just an unhappy, rabid fan." He commented, brushed his hair, then straightened his shirt.

Aki found the entire situation a little off, and quite uncomfortable. Sho wasn't telling the truth, and she knew it. She sighed a little nervously. She supposed the only thing she could do at the moment, is brace herself for the coming fallout of anything he may have caused.

 _She'll come around._ He thought. _I'm in her thoughts now. Whether it's love or hate, she'll be thinking of me, and aren't they both two sides of the same coin. There's a thin line between love and hate._

Had anyone been listening to those asinine thoughts they would have at least tried to set him straight. Setsuka Heel did not love or hate him. She felt disgust and fear. At no point in her life would she care if he lived or died. Certainly one must feel a significant amount of emotion to love or hate someone, but at the moment, she was frightened and sickened. Fear is something that he would not be able to turn into a viable emotion.

* * *

She certainly didn't want to involve her Godfather, but it would seem that Fuwa was forcing her hand. The disgusting pig had essentially attacked her, and she certainly didn't want to think of what could have happened if his manager hadn't interrupted him. In the moments before she'd heard Aki Shoko's voice, she had been truly worried about her safety, and couldn't help but wonder if he would have taken it further.

"Setsuka... What happened?" Ruto asked with concern as they sat in the back of the limo, and he stroked the hand print and mark on her cheek. "Who did this to you?"

It all hit her at once. The implications, the feeling of no one being there when she needed help. The feeling of being so small, and helpless. She broke into tears and flung herself into his arms, not able to put any of her fears or worries into words.

Ruto just sat and held her tightly, fighting the urge to have the driver turn the car around so he could go back into the building, find out whomever did this to her, and make them pay with a significant amount of pain. Lory was definitely going to hear about this, without a doubt. There was no way he was going to let something like this go without some kind of punishment.


	33. Chapter 33

_**Chapter 33**_

* * *

He wasn't really sure whether he could say that he took pleasure in something like this, but it did give him a sense of satisfaction. If the boy couldn't use the studio, he couldn't further his career. Lory had made it a point to completely book every recording studio for his talents, for the next four months, solidly. Not even Haruki Asami could do anything about it. It was all legitimate. He would need to go outside of Tokyo if he wanted to make any headway. That was the first onslaught. The second, he put his full support behind Vie Ghoul, even if they weren't from LME. They were the only artists at the moment that were successfully knocking the boy down several pegs, and were happily doing so once Reino had seen the cut on his little queen's face.

Reino hadn't been the only one that was out for blood after that either. It would seem that Kuon had caught wind of the little incident when Reino had stopped by the studio to hang out with her until she got off work. He'd taken her invitation to heart, and was not going to squander the opportunity to be with her again.

* * *

 _ **FLASHBACK**_

"What happened?" He asked with concern, caressing her bruised cheek.

She glanced at him as he sat next to her in the lounge. "Nothing important."

He furrowed his brow. "Nothing important? You look like someone hit you, Setsu! How could **that** not be important?"

She sighed. "Like I said, it's over with, and it's not important. Can't you just let me look at my script in peace?" She said a little irritably.

He sat back on the sofa and sulked. "Fine, but when I find out who did this to you..."

She sighed, and stood up. "Whatever, Danny. I'm over it. I just have to be more careful to stay far away from him or be a little more aware of my surroundings. Nevertheless, I won't be caught off guard again."

He looked up at her sharply. _**"It was that ass, Fuwa... Wasn't it?!"**_ He growled out.

She looked at him a little surprised. She'd actually never seen him so angry, and she'd definitely never seen the individual in the hall, as he leaned against the wall covertly listening, so angry either. "H-How..."

" _ **That motherfucker! I'll kill him!"**_ He ranted.

She giggled, killing the tension in the atmosphere, and both men were stunned. She shook her head. _**"I can honestly say, I've never seen you lose the plot like that. If you don't quit, I might actually mistake you for a decent human being."**_

He furrowed his brow. _**"That's not fair, Babe. You know how I feel about men hitting women."**_

Kuon heard the term of endearment, and wanted to stop listening immediately, but he still needed to let her know her scenes were up.

She rolled her eyes. _ **"Don't call me that. I'm not your babe. We've already discussed this."**_

" _ **Sorry, it was a slip. I forget sometimes, you know."**_ He confessed, almost in a mumble.

She sighed. _**"I think maybe you need a bit more time to reflect, if you're finding it difficult."**_

He shook his head. _**"No... I just lost myself there for a moment. It won't happen again."**_ He assured her, hiding the heaviness in his chest.

 _ **TAP... TAP...**_

Kuon cleared his throat, and ignored the glare from the other male in the room. "Sorry to interrupt Kyouko-chan, Director Ogata said that your scenes are up, and you need to see makeup for touch-ups."

She smiled brightly, thanking her lucky stars he was giving her a way out of the room and the current conversation. "Thank you Tsuruga-san." She told him sweetly, in passing.

Reino narrowed his eyes at the other male when he saw him flinch at the formal address. _Oh_ _ **hell**_ _no! This is_ _ **not**_ _going to happen._ _You do not get to come in here and take_ _ **my**_ _girl, you fake!_ He groused inwardly. No, he wasn't going to reveal Kuon to the world or anything like that. He really didn't know much about him, plus he was well aware of how important stage names were in the industry, but he certainly was **not** going to stand on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets, watching as his rival walked away with **his** girl!

"Hey Kyouko!" He called out to her as she walked out the door.

She turned.

He smirked, and winked. "See you tonight." He cooed in a shiver inducing voice.

She rolled her eyes, and huffed. _**"Pfft... Idiot."**_

He chuckled and flopped back into the sofa after she left. He didn't bother looking at the other male before he'd left. He knew it had the effect he was hoping for. It was just a tiny mark on his territory, and he was sure the actor would get the message. Nothing else needed to be said, as far as he was concerned.

A tight angered look fell over him, and he pulled his phone from his pants pocket, then dialed. "Miroku... Need a favor. Where you at?..." He nodded. "Hmm... Okay, meet you in about five, in the lobby... No, I'll tell you when I see you." He ended the call. This was something he didn't want anyone else listening in on, like earlier. Not that he cared if anyone connected him to anything that would be said. He just didn't want it circulating back to Setsu.

 _ **END FLASHBACK**_

* * *

Reino and Miroku chuckled at the pathetic sight, wondering who the hell beat them to the punch, literally. "What the hell happened to you? Piss off someone's boyfriend?" Reino snickered.

"I tripped and fell, if it's any of your business." Sho groused.

Miroku snorted.

"Into someone's fist?" Reino commented, nodding to Miroku. "Come on, looks like someone's already made their point." He glanced back at Sho. "Stay away from Setsu."

"Yeah, yeah... I heard you. Loud and clear." He winced a little. He was not about to bring the wrath of that blond, green-eyed demon upon himself again. The big guy had covered the lower half of his face, but he would never forget that deep hellish growl that told him to stay away from Setsuka Heel. He absolutely would not chance getting on that Shinigami's bad side again, and he most definitely was not going to be caught without an escort or witnesses around again either.

 _She's just not worth the hassle. Too many guard dogs around her._ He groused inwardly, waiting for the makeup tech to come, and discretely cover up the mess his face was in. Sure it was only a few bruises, that paled in comparison when considering the rest on his body, but he was an entertainer and the bruise on his jaw was pretty obvious. He hissed a little at the tenderness of his jaw, remembering the warning well, as he examined it in the mirror.

* * *

Lory looked up at Ruto a little perplexed. "So you still haven't figured out how Fuwa-san _tripped and fell_?" He asked a little dryly.

Of course Ruto knew, but he certainly wasn't going to tell Lory. The boy had done what he and every member of Vie Ghoul had wanted to do. He shook his head. "No Sir... Haven't figured it out yet."

Lory gave him a pensive look and a little smirk. He then lit a cigar. "Yeah... Just let me know if, and when that person has an attack of conscience." He suspected that Ruto may have been the culprit, but judging from his reaction, he really wasn't so sure anymore. _Perhaps it was some little groupie's father, boyfriend or, husband. I can understand why he'd not want to point fingers if that were the case... but, I doubt he'd want to reveal that he'd hit Setsu if it were Reino or, Kuon either_. A tiny light bulb lit in his mind at that thought. He groaned inwardly. This was not something he wanted to even consider at the moment. He shook his head. _No, Kuon wouldn't do something that stupid, and risky... Would he?_

* * *

Aki Shoko glanced over at her charge, who had been sticking to her like glue ever since he _tripped and fell_. Of course she knew someone had beaten him, it was obvious to her, and it disturbed her, but at least he was doing as he was told now, and he wasn't going out on the town like a stray cat anymore.

She had to admit, it made him infinitely easier to deal with. However, she had a hunch that the beating may have had something to do with the little incident at the television studio, where he'd hit Setsuka Heel. It irritated her somewhat that the girl didn't go through the proper channels, and decided to send someone after him like that. Although, if anyone ever found out what had happened between the pair, Sho and she would probably find themselves blacklisted. Setsuka Heel was an international commodity, she had a name already, she owned a photography studio, her name was firm in the fashion world, and she had a production company/studio in the US. One did not mess with that kind of branding without severe consequences. So, she supposed that Sho had gotten off pretty easily in this particular case.


	34. Chapter 34

_**A/N: The video referred to in this chapter has the imagery of Voodoo by Godsmack. Not going into the lyrics or description in this story, wanted to keep it strictly about her and not the music aspect. Also, just a little too lazy to include it like that this time. Lol.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 34**_

* * *

He supposed it was a good thing that all the studios had been booked in Tokyo, otherwise he wouldn't have been forced to make camp for a little while in Karuizawa. As the saying goes: Every dark cloud has a silver lining, and he supposed that maybe having Akatoki spend a king's ransom on setting him up in the resort was worth having his ass handed to him, and essentially banned from every recording studio in Tokyo. _Pretty big reward for putting that bitch in her place._ He smirked at the thought as he lounged in his hotel suite, and watched daytime television. Green eyes flashed in his memory and he flinched a little. _Maybe not._ He shivered. He had just officially ruined his quiet time. Now he was going to have that image haunting him for the rest of the day. It was a pity that his parents indulged him, instead of teaching him basic social skills, and how to treat women. Unfortunately, they had focused more on trying to find him a wife, and ways to tie him to the ryokan permanently.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

 _What the bloody hell is going on?_ She groused as she finished packing her bags for her ten day trip to Karuizawa. Initially she was excited about the location shoot, she hadn't been to a resort in ages. She was really looking forward to the massages, the hot springs, and the pampering when she wasn't working. She thought she could get in a little site seeing too. After all, Mio was a secondary character and they wouldn't need her there everyday. In fact, they only needed her for filming for only four out of the seven they were scheduled to be there, and she'd reserved her suite for ten days.

What actually killed her little buzz of excitement had been the first phone call, Danny. He'd called to make sure that she would be safe and sound where she would be staying. He'd even informed her that Vie Ghoul would be there for a few days too, so expect him to drop by the set a couple of times. _Great..._ She thought after the call. _Now I'll have him, and Ruto as nannies._ She rolled her eyes. _I wonder if Maggie's going to crawl out of the woodwork too?_

Then, **Bachelor Number Two** decided to call. _Nanny number three_. _Yay!_ She rolled her eyes after she got off the phone with him. Once again he was talking to her like he would Maria, and she just wanted to get the call over with. _Who the bloody hell did he think he was telling me not to forget that I would be there for work, and not a vacation?_ _Why would he even care? Didn't he have enough to worry about? I'm just a sodding child in his eyes anyway!_ She groused as she folded her last garment a little more tightly than intended, and roughly stuffed it in her suitcase before zipping it shut.

She stopped, took in a deep calming breath, counted to ten, picked up her phone, put in her earbuds, and navigated to her play-list, then promptly cranked up the volume as loudly as she could tolerate it before putting her suitcase by the door. She was not going to allow those two tossers to ruin her time in Karuizawa. She didn't need three nannies, Ruto was more than enough, and at least he was discrete about it.

She quickly calmed, and decided that reading a fashion magazine was more worthy of her time than thinking about the two men that were behaving more like overprotective guard dogs than friends. Nope, she was not about to allow them to ruin her trip. She was going to go to Karuizawa, do her scenes perfectly, get a massage, a manicure, spend time in the hot springs, and have a few wonderful dinners at a couple of the little cafés she'd researched online. If either wanted to join her, they would do so as friends, not a couple of mother hens, hovering over a nest. She giggled at the thought of either of them in Bo's costume, trying to sit on her, as an egg, in a large nest. The imagery was quite uplifting and put her back into the mood she was in before either had called.

* * *

It was now confirmed in his mind. She was definitely not a little girl anymore, the second PV he'd watched proved it and displayed one of the many faces of Setsu he'd discovered since her cute, sulky face he'd seen the day of his Katsuki reveal. Now he had the images of Sho Fuwa's Avenging Angel, and merciful heaven... Vie Ghoul's Voodoo Queen, trapped in his memory. There was no way he'd ever be able to see her as the little girl playing in the ocean with him, **ever again**. The _"She's four years younger"_ excuse was not going to work on his mind, heart or, body anymore. Not with her dancing through his mind and dreams like **that** , now.

He groaned in near agony as he watched her writhe around the altar wearing nothing but, makeup to hide her identity, beads, a skirt that looked like it'd been made from strips of cloth, and maybe a few accentuating henna tattoos. _If they can call that a costume._ He growled, taking a swig of the amber liquid in the small glass he was holding as he sat on the floor, sulking, and stunned beyond belief.

"What is her relationship with him?" He mumbled, giving voice to his thoughts, as he remembered her words from her interview months ago.

 _{"Wow Heel-san, there really aren't very many boys that would understand something like that, that are your age." The interviewer commented._

" _Indeed not. I suppose I would probably need someone a bit older and more mature. Someone that understands that there is more to life than just dating." Her British accent was peeking through her Japanese.}_

"Is he the one she was talking about?" He knew the VK vocalist was a little older than her, but more mature? He had his doubts, especially after the little display a couple of weeks ago in the lounge. Although, he honestly couldn't say that he wouldn't have reacted the same way, had he allowed his former personality to take over, which seemed to be something he was doing quite a bit lately according to Lory, and Yukihito.

He groaned. "Well, I kind of **did** react that way... Maybe a little more extreme." His eyes narrowed. "At least the little bastard won't be hitting her again. Not if he doesn't want to spend a little time in the hospital." He smirked a little. He felt relatively safe in the knowledge that only three in Japan knew Kuon Hizuri, and that little bastard wouldn't utter a word about it, due to the fact that he'd hit her with witnesses. Even if said witnesses were too stupid to say anything about it at the time, and those that hadn't seen it directly, had seen the slowly forming bruised hand-print, and cut on her face as she left the building. Never let be it said that Setsuka Heel was a girl that would walk away from something like that, hiding her face. She walked out of that building like a queen, and at least 20 people that knew Lory had reported the whispers, and rumors to him about the incident. It was the primary reason he hadn't had a problem locking the boy out of Tokyo for four months, Kuon had happily discovered.


	35. Chapter 35

_**Chapter 35**_

* * *

"Why do you keep following me around like a lost dog, Fuwa-san? Don't you have anything better to do? Wasn't slapping me around enough for you?" She asked with a little less emotion than Itsumi expected. Itsumi Momose stood there stunned. The subject was quite uncomfortable and something she certainly didn't expect with that minimal amount of emotion from Kyouko-san.

"I..." He was stunned that she would even mention something like that.

She rolled her eyes. She turned to her friend. "Come on Itsumi, this guy's a stalker and doesn't have anything important to say."

Green eyes flashed in his memory as he watched her beautiful figure walk away from him, and he shivered. _"Stay away from Setsu..."_ Nope, he was not going to risk it. He would wait until she left, and resume his nice little vacation.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

"Did he really hit you, Kyouko-san?" Itsumi whispered as they walked away from the man-child that had been following them.

Setsu sighed. "It's not important. Trust me, he won't be doing it again." She commented. She would definitely make sure he would end up flat on his back with a few broken bones if he decided to touch her again. She would not allow herself to be caught off guard again and she most certainly would not allow Danny to come to her rescue like he'd implied after it had happened. She was not some delicate little flower to be protected and sheltered from life.

Itsumi looked at her a little warily as they walked to the entrance of the resort's hotel. "Well, at any rate... You really should let Ogata-san know about this. Just in case he decides to show up at the set."

Setsu glanced at her as the door opened and they walked through. "I suppose you're right. I'll probably do that after the meeting tonight."

 _ **~xoxo~**_

"It says here that she's worth almost a billion US, and she's single." He heard a voice from the table next to them.

"Whoa, all that and looks. I heard that she graduated high school this year too. She's only 16." The other male voice commented, impressed.

"Well, I have to say... Whatever guy gets her is going to be very lucky." He heard the magazine close and the sound of the glossy booklet being set down.

Yashiro glanced at Ren and smirked with a raised brow. "Sounds like the media has finally made the Setsuka/Kyoko-chan connection. It's going to be a lot more difficult to approach her now... if a guy were in the mind to date her."

Kuon took a drink of his soda and pushed the dark shades up so Yashiro couldn't see his expression. "It's always been that way. She's always been pretty driven as far as work is concerned." _Maybe not so much, seeing that she dated that singer._ He groused inwardly. _I wonder what she meant when she told him he needed more time to reflect, and that she wasn't his "babe"._ _Maybe they aren't dating like I thought._ The thought made him feel a little lighter than before, now that he actually analyzed the overheard conversation, and situation.

* * *

"...And here's your key sir." The young woman smiled as she handed him the small card. "The elevators are just down that hall, and to the right." She pointed. "There are drink and snack vending machines in the stairwell, to the left of the elevators, and the cafeteria's hours are from 5 am to 9 pm... Room Service is available 24 hours. Please enjoy your stay in Karuizawa." She smiled cordially. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" She asked.

The young man looked at her thoughtfully, and nodded. "Yes, could you tell me if you have a florist nearby?"

"Of course..." She pulled out a business card. "This is the florist that we use for our beautiful arrangements. They are very reliable, and use only the freshest of products. Would you like for our concierge to place an order for you?" She asked with a smile.

"That won't be necessary." He held up the card between his fingers, before slipping it into his pocket. "Are you able to tell me if someone has checked into their suite yet?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir; however, I am not allowed to give out their room number."

He chuckled. "Understood... The name it would be under is, Setsuka Heel."

She nodded, turned to her computer and typed in the name. She glanced at the information, and nodded. "Yes, sir... Ms. Heel has already arrived."

He smiled and started to walk away. "Thank you."

* * *

He heard the knock on his neighbor's door, but certainly didn't expect to see who it was, either of the two, when he took a nosy little peek into the hall. He wanted to go out there and punch the smug look on the asshole's face now that he wasn't around his buddies, but Shoko had warned him to stay out of trouble. He wondered if it would be worth it. The jerk had been copying his style for months and it was really starting to piss him off. He didn't care that Shoko and Asami had told him it was only natural that he be copied like that. They told him that if he didn't want something like that to happen, he would have to adapt and that Visual Kei wasn't really exclusive to him. There had been many others before him in that genre. _What the hell do they know?_ He thought sourly, and felt the bile rise in his throat as he listened to her guard dog begging her. "Pathetic... Hmph... No girl is worth all that trouble." He irritably mumbled, closing his door.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

"I sincerely hope that you reserved your own room Danny, because you most certainly are **not** sharing with me." She told him standing in the doorway, appraising the vocalist and the large bouquet he was holding out for her.

"No, I just wanted to check up on you. There's a rumor going around that Fuwa got banned from Tokyo, and this is where one of the few recording studios are that hasn't locked him out. I just wanted to make sure." He explained quietly, so that no other would hear their conversation.

She rolled her eyes and groaned a little.

Reino furrowed his brow. "What?"

She gave him a little snort. "You're too late." She glanced at the door next to hers a few meters away.

"Setsu... You need to tell someone or, change suites." He plead.

She frowned cutely. "I am not going to ruin my stay here, by switching rooms. I've already spoken to Director Ogata, and Ruto's been shadowing me since I arrived. I don't need another nanny, thank you very much. Go do your job and I'll do mine. If you decide that you want to have lunch together as friends, then come see me." She commanded, and shut her door.

Setsu sighed with a bit of irritation as she caught sight of the floral arrangement of while lilies he had forced on her. She rolled her eyes. "Of course he would send me something fit for a funeral. Morbid idiot." She rolled her eyes and flipped on the stereo. _It's a good thing they accommodate musicians here._ She thought as she cranked up the volume. The rooms were sound-proofed for the privacy of their guests, and she was now taking full advantage of that while she powered up her laptop so she could view the designs for next year's fall collection.


	36. Chapter 36

_**Chapter 36**_

* * *

Beautiful, stunning, dark, enticing. Those were only a few of the words Reino used to describe her in the deep recesses of his mind, adding only two more forbidden, and off-limits. Yes, it was defeating, and somewhat heartbreaking to see her give that beast a look she'd never deigned to grace him with. She loved Tsuruga or, whatever his name really was, but she just didn't know it yet. He felt a little stab of pain. I'm responsible for that wound. He sighed.

"Something wrong, Reino?" Miroku asked. His friend seemed to be deeply in thought over something.

Reino nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just a little bored." He lied.

"Thinking of doing something else?" Miroku glanced at him.

Reino stood abruptly. "Na... Are we done here? I'm getting a little hungry. I'm thinking room service tonight." He told him as he started to leave Wood Stick.

"Sounds good." Miroku and the others followed.

* * *

"I'd really like to apologize for Sho's behavior." Aki Shoko told the cute blonde as they soaked in the hot spring.

Setsuka glanced at her languidly and tried to tune the woman out, then closed her eyes again.

"You really didn't need to take such drastic measures against him. You do realize how unprofessional that was to send someone after him, don't you?" Shoko somewhat scolded.

Setsuka sat up with her eyes trained on the woman. She narrowed her gaze at her, and stood up. "I'm unprofessional? He slaps me around, and you stand by and watch, then you call _**me**_ unprofessional? I'm sorry, but I wasn't aware that it was customary in Japan for a man to physically assault a woman and walk away from it unscathed. I'll try to remember for next time. As for me sending someone after him? Perhaps you should be paying attention to who he pisses off and not his ass. I didn't send anyone after him. If someone came after him, they did it on their own." Setsuka glanced back at the stunned woman as she left. "By the way, keep your pet on a leash. He's been stalking me again." She told her calmly, referring to his greeting when she arrived with Itsumi.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Ah, that perfect scent and feel. It was her, freshly bathed. How he had missed that. The nostalgic thoughts flowed through him as he made his little detour. He only noticed the threat to his bathing beauty when it was almost too late.

"Who the hell do you think you are sending that monster after me?" Reino heard Sho rant as he held firmly to her bicep, digging his fingers in, in anger.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Let me go!" Setsuka dropped her belongings, grabbed his arm, turned and flipped said ass on his back. "Don't touch me again. I will not allow a repeat of what happened last time. I don't need to send anyone after you. I can deal with you myself." She hissed to him with her sandaled foot firmly on his forehead to hold the groaning VK pest down.

Reino chuckled. He suspected something like this would happen if Sho approached her again. "Setsu, let him go." He told her, snickering at Sho as he and Miroku picked up her belongings and carried them for her. He glanced at Sho. "You really don't know when to quit, do you? Do you really want her guard-dog to find out about this?"

Sho's eyes went wide, and he shook his head as much as she would allow.

A gasp came from the direction of the dressing rooms. "Sho! What's going on here?!"

Reino looked at the buxom manager and back at Setsuka, then smirked. "I believe your little puppy is being disciplined for misbehaving again."

Shoko groaned.

"Setsu... Let him up." Reino told her.

Setsuka rolled her eyes, took her foot off his head, grabbed her things from Miroku and glanced at Shoko. "Like I implied before. You need to teach him some manners." She looked down at Sho then left.

Reino chuckled. "You just aren't having a very good month, are you Fuwa?" He smirked and left to follow Setsu to make sure she was completely unharmed and calm. She rarely showed anger physically, and he'd never really seen her have to protect herself like that. Although, he had seen her train before, and knew she was capable in a pinch.

* * *

She was mentally and physically drained from the little confrontations between her and Sho, her and Shoko, and her and Reino. She wasn't sure why, but she just needed to hear his voice. Whether either of them knew it or not, they calmed each other, and made everything make sense.

" _Setsu?"_ His velvety voice called to over the line, filled with concern. He'd had this nagging feeling all day that something wasn't right.

"Hey Kuon." She almost breathed out, and to him she sounded a little rattled.

" _Are you okay? Is something wrong?"_ He asked.

She sighed. "I am now. Just a long day."

He nodded. _"I understand... Me too." I miss you._ He thought. _"How did filming go?"_

A small smile crept onto her lips. She was starting to feel much better. "It went." She giggled. "Airi shot Ms. Iizuka in the chest with a lobster claw in scene 42, and it took everyone an hour to recover from it. We couldn't stop laughing during the dinner scene."

He chuckled. _"Yashiro fell into a tide pool during the shoot. He freaked out a little when he found a starfish in his shirt pocket. Thankfully he left his stuff in the trailer."_

She giggled. "Thank you, Kuon... I feel better now." She sighed out.

He was quiet for a moment. _"I miss you..."_ There he finally said it. He held his breath for her response.

She paused, a little stunned. "I-I miss you too. When will you be here?" She asked, feeling as if something had been freed inside of her that had been locked away.

A wide smile graced his lips. _"I should be done tomorrow night. Yashiro should be there in the morning to get our rooms and talk to Director Ogata about the schedule. Will you still be filming?"_

She nodded. "Yeah, remember? I still have a few scenes with you before I can take advantage of the scenery." She teased. "Without my nanny." She added a little dryly.

" _Hey! Is that what I am now?"_ She could almost see his pout.

She sighed. "No... But sometimes you act like it." She grumbled.

The teasing had relaxed him considerably. _"Only because I love you."_ He froze. _Shit!_

She was quiet for a few moments and that worried him. "Kuon?" She said his name in a small voice.

" _I'm not taking it back, Setsu. I mean it. I've felt that way for a long time now."_ He confessed. His chest no longer felt tighter, his anxiety was gone, and his headache was ebbing away.

She let out a soft sigh, and nodded to herself. "I know... At least I think I've known for awhile. Um... I love you too. Can we talk when you get here?" She asked quietly.

 _"I think we should. Maybe over dinner?"_ He asked hopefully.

She smiled, feeling much more relaxed. Although, a little uncertain in this new revelation. She thought she'd really and truly loved Reino, but something felt completely different about the situation. She supposed it was because Kuon knew her, knew everything about her, and she him. It was actually comforting. "I think I would like that. I have a little café I'd like to try. I think you'd like it too."

He felt positively giddy. _"Okay, so I'll see you then. I should let you get your sleep."_

"Um... I love you, Kuon." She told him before they ended their call.

 _"I love you too, Princess."_ Now that he'd told her, it came out so much easier. _"Sweet dreams."_


	37. Chapter 37

_**Chapter 37**_

* * *

He'd been thoroughly humiliated by her, and Aki would not loosen her hold on him. She was now acting more like his parents than his sexy manager. She refused to get him a new suite, with the excuse that there were no others available. So now here he was, with his room just down the hall from Setsuka Heel, after he'd heard that her filming was done, and that pretty boy Tsuruga was there all of the damn time, and no one was saying a word about it. He had to admit that the staff at the resort was pretty tight-lipped when it came to their guests, but didn't they have a problem with a 20 year-old dating a 16 year-old?

The thing about the Karuizawa resort was, that a couple like Setsuka Heel and Ren Tsuruga wasn't all that uncommon. Times change, and the staff and locals weren't really all that shocked by something like the pair being together. Not only that, it wasn't like they were being inappropriate about anything that they did: walks in the park, picnics in the meadow, and shopping.

Now one would think with her upbringing that Setsuka wouldn't think much on the money spent, but she would definitely be considered somewhat frugal when it came to spending. Sometimes even to the point of haggling with a shopkeeper or two, which would result in a chuckle from Kuon and a pout from the teasing, but she would always seem to come out of the shops with more than what one would suspect. In that aspect, she somewhat reminded him of his mother Juli Hizuri.

At one point they did notice that they had a nosy tail. Kuon leaned to her as they entered the small shop with floor to ceiling nick-nacks. _**"We have a stray following us."**_ He gave her a smirk she'd not seen in a long time.

She rolled her eyes, and glanced to the side. He wasn't exactly being very discreet about it or did he just not know how to be that way? She groaned a little. _**"I can't believe he's at it again."**_ She grumbled a little.

Kuon furrowed his brow, and gave her a questioning look. It was in that moment that she'd realized that he had been the one to avenge her. _**"He's been stalking you again?"**_ He asked in a somewhat low growl.

Standing before him with hands on her hips, she scolded him. _**"Were you the one that did that?"**_ She asked quietly with her head cocked, and received nothing but a sheepish expression. _**"Do you realize all the crap I got from his manager and him for that? Not only that, you could have gotten into a lot of trouble."**_ She scolded, then sighed taking his arm in hers, and pulling him out of the shop.

" _ **I just wanted to protect you."**_ He murmured.

She sighed as they continued their walk. _**"Although I appreciate the gesture Kuon, try not to do something so risky again. If anyone ever connected you with something like that, you could get into a lot of trouble."**_

He groaned a little. _**"Come on Setsu, do you really think I would do something like that if I thought anyone would recognize me?"**_ He asked quietly.

She stopped and turned to him. She looked up and caressed his dark hair, then looked into his hidden eyes. She shook her head, then giggled. _**"Plonker, don't do it again, I don't want you to end up in the clink."**_ She scolded.

He gave her a little pout, and the cutest little abandoned puppy look. She felt like she was going to melt. _**"I covered my face. Besides, it's not like he'll figure it out. Come on Setsu, he didn't even recognize you from what I've heard."**_

She giggled. _**"I suppose you're right. It did take him awhile and he didn't even see it until it was practically pointed out."**_ She smirked. _**"Think I'm getting better at this?"**_

He leaned to her and kissed her temple. _**"Yeah, but not as good as I am yet."**_ He chuckled and she playfully swatted his arm.

* * *

As he followed the pair, he had hoped to get something on them. Something that would at least dirty the competition a little, but there was nothing that could be considered inappropriate done by either of the pair. It was infuriating.

"Sho!" He heard the older female voice with its chastising tone and winced. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Aki growled.

He slowly turned and pulled on a mask of innocence. "I'm just out getting some fresh air, Shoko-san." He lied.

Shoko stomped up to him, insulted that he would blatantly lie to her and grabbed his ear. "I don't think so. I know for a fact that you were following Tsuruga-san and Heel-san. Even they know." She nodded apologetically to the pair and watched them wave to her.

Sho paled a little. He'd thought he'd been more careful than that, but insisted on sticking to his lie. "I don't know what you're talking about. It's just a coincidence."

"Mmhmm. I think it's time for you to return to the resort. You still have four more songs to compose for your next album and you haven't even started. You were sent here under Akatoki-sama's orders for that and you've done nothing but sit around watching game shows and stalking Heel-san." She tugged his ear and pulled him along.

"Ow, ow, ow!" He exclaimed.

"Time to go back and get busy or would you rather give up your contract to Vie Ghoul?" She announced.

Sho's brow furrowed, and a sense of determination filled him. "Fine!" He growled and stomped off. Now he would have no choice on whether he'd be staying in his room with his dirty little thoughts plaguing him. Little thoughts of a small sandaled foot on his forehead that was attached to a perfect leg, that led up to a delicious bare thigh, that was attached to a perfectly formed, pert ass covered in black lace cheeky panties, hidden under that light-blue yukata she'd been wearing the night she'd laid him out on his back, giving him the perfect view. Sure, she didn't have the tits that Mimori and Aki had, but she made up for it everywhere else and it was definitely an image he just couldn't shake, his music would reflect that fact later on.

* * *

Okay, so he'd confessed his heart to her and she did the same, but what to do next? Neither were very certain on the next steps. They certainly didn't want to drag in Yukihito or Lory in on this, they wanted to figure it out on their own. There was still the not so small fact of what he'd confided in her as she was Bo. It was something that she really wanted to discuss with him, but she didn't want him to feel betrayed by her not telling him immediately. She supposed it was better sooner than later, but the anxiety it was causing her was practically killing her.

"Something wrong, Setsu?" He asked a little worried by her demeanor.

Thankfully they were relaxing in his dressing trailer. She really didn't want to have to admit something like this when they were out or when they were in each other's personal living spaces. The dressing trailer had just the right amount of privacy she required for her confession.

She sighed as her fingers gently sifted through his hair, while he rested his head on her lap. "There's something you need to know about one of my LoveME jobs." She closed her eyes and groaned a little inwardly. _Well, it's now or never._ She worried her bottom lip, and he reached up to caress her cheek.

The stressed, shy look she was giving him had him worried. He couldn't help but think that she'd changed her mind about their confessions to each other. Did she just say it to appease him? Was she having second thoughts? His mind turned blank and he froze at what she'd told him. "I'm Bo, the mascot from Kimagure Rock."

Kuon's brow furrowed. "Bo?"

She nodded with a pout. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I only wanted to help Kuon, and you certainly weren't going to talk to me. You made it very clear many times that we share an age gap... I was pretty sure you wouldn't talk to me or confide in me." She groused a little at the end.

He was quiet for most of her confession and kept his emotions guarded. He sighed out a little. "So you knew this whole time?" He asked as he slowly sat up.

She shivered a little, feeling the anger rolling off of him. Her brow furrowed. _I guess he only does love me as a sibling. I took it wrong._ She sighed. "I promise I won't tell her." She told him, fighting the heat behind her eyes. _God, I feel so stupid. I suppose it's all for the best, it would've probably ended badly anyway._ She thought as she stood and straightened herself.

He was stunned. _What is she talking about?_

 _ **KNOCK... KNOCK... KNOCK...**_

"Ren-san, Kyouko-chan? Break's over, it's almost time for your scenes." A familiar voice came through the door.

Setsuka opened the door and stepped out, leaving her counterpart in stunned silence. "Thank you Yashiro-san." _Pull yourself together Setsuka, you've always known you were never meant to have something like that._ She thought as she fought to keep her calm exterior. _What's three days early anyway. Papa will be happy to see me home a little early anyway. I'll just spend the time with Maria and go over those new proposals on the plane._ She decided, making plans to leave as soon as her day was finished.


	38. Chapter 38

_**Chapter 38**_

* * *

Well, one could never accuse him of not taking advantage of a situation or misunderstanding; although, he wasn't certain if it was indeed a misunderstanding. She told him clearly what his competition thought of her, and the images in her mind corresponded with what she was telling him; however, he just could never see her as a little sister. He supposed if he'd grown up with her, it was possible. He shook his head as he wrapped an arm around her in the cab. "I could never see you as my little sister, babe." He chuckled. "That would be incest."

She gave him a small smile and slapped his leg. "You really know how to cheer me up, Danny. Sorry I dumped all of this on you. Thank you for listening to me vent."

He kissed her temple and smiled. "Anytime you need a shoulder, I'll be here for you." He glanced at her to make sure she was in better spirits. "Are you sure you want to leave this early? Do you need to let anyone know you're leaving?"

She shook her head. "Ruto knows and it's not like there's anyone else that cares." She mumbled the last part. _It was nice while it lasted, even if I was being a delusional little girl about it. I mean, he had many opportunities to say something, but he's always pointed out how much younger I am and treated me like Maria._ She sighed a little at that thought. _I'm so stupid, but... I did have a good time during our lunch._ She sighed a little dejectedly.

Danny looked out the window of the cab and sighed. "Well, then he's stupid." He announced with a soft smile.

She shook her head. "No, he just has someone already. I took it wrong. Like I said, he only sees me as a little sister." She was quiet for a long moment. "That's all I've ever been."

He pulled her into a hug. "Well, you are definitely _**NOT my**_ little sister." He could clearly see the second-chance being dangled in front of him. He was not about to toss it aside. Now was the time to proceed carefully. It was time to keep his image and personal life pristine, and prove to her that he meant business when it came to her.

* * *

He paced back and forth in the hall that contained her hotel suite, wondering why she wasn't answering her door or any of his messages. It was already 8pm. She'd left the set three hours ago, and he came over as soon as he was finished so that he could clear up that little misunderstanding between them. There was no way there were any other women in his life that he was in love with or dating. He wanted it to be her.

He dialed her number again, and it went straight to voicemail... again. "Damn-it! Where the hell are you, Setsu?" He groused a little more loudly than he wanted. The thought to call Lory had crossed his mind, but was quickly tossed to the side. He did not want the man sticking his fingers into his personal life out of _love_. He groaned at that thought.

"Pathetic..." He heard a male voice mumbled as he heard the click of a door lock just a few meters away.

Kuon turned to the opinionated pest. "You got something to say, Fuwa?" He growled.

Sho smirked and shoved his hand into his pocket. "Never thought I'd see Ren Tsuruga chasing after a lost cause... Standing in front of an empty hotel room." He gloated. "If she told you to meet up with her, she stood you up. She left at around six with her boyfriend, that copycat from Vie Ghoul."

Kuon was clinging tightly to his mask. "Well, I suppose I'll catch up with her later. It's not like we're dating."

Sho opened his door and entered his room. "Right... Whatever." _It's about time someone made him feel human. At least he isn't Number One on her list._ Sho thought with satisfaction.

* * *

"Aw come on... You deserve a little bit of a vacation, Setsu. You cut out three days early, you have more than a week before you have to be back in Tokyo, and you need this. How long has it been since you've actually relaxed?" Danny reasoned with her to alleviate her twisted sense of guilt.

She sighed as she peered out the window at the ocean below. "Fine, but I have got to be back by next Saturday or Papa will send Ruto after me. He doesn't know I'm flying out to Hawaii with you or that we'll be staying in the same hotel."

Danny grinned. "Not a word from me." He told her making a motion that looked as if he were zipping his mouth shut.

Setsu rolled her eyes. "Don't get any ideas. I'm just going there to relax and enjoy the beach." She reminded him. "And don't expect me to spend all my time indoors. If I'm going on a vacay, I will be enjoying it to my fullest." She informed him, so that he wouldn't get any dirty little ideas.

* * *

"Anything new?"

" _Not yet, Sir. They're in first-class at the moment. She seemed rather upset when she boarded the plane, but he seems to have calmed her. Should I make myself known?"_

"No... I don't want her to think I don't trust her judgment. Have you been able to find out why all of this happened? I thought she was going to spend her vacation in Karuizawa." Lory asked a little concerned.

" _I'm not certain. She spent some time with Tsuruga-sama during lunch and seemed rather contented. They then spent time together during a break, after that she seemed a little off. I've no idea what had been discussed during that time, but she seemed to distance herself from him during filming, then left as soon as her scenes were done. She checked out of the hotel with Bennett-sama during dinner and left for the airport. It was fortunate I was able to procure a seat in coach on the same flight."_ Ruto finished.

Lory sighed. _Kuon... What did you do?_ Lory groused inwardly. "Alright, keep me abreast of the situation, Ruto. Stay in the shadows, and whatever you do... do not let her discover you. If she needs a little time away, I don't wish to interfere with it. It was hard enough trying to get her to come to Japan, I don't want to give her any reasons to go back to London. She needs to see that we trust her."

" _Of course, Sir. I will be sure to be very discreet."_ Ruto assured him and ended the call, and placed the device back in it's cradle, then went back to his seat.

Lory leaned back into his chair, lit a cigar and took a long drink of the Scotch he just poured. He sighed out. "That girl is going to kill me with worry." He groaned quietly. _Just need to keep this from Maria or she will throw a fit._ He thought as he glanced at his closed office door. He took another sip and inhaled his cigar deeply. _I wonder what happened between her and Kuon._

* * *

During her 12-hour flight with Reino, Kuon would try to sleep... Unsuccessfully. Ruto would read a few magazines, listen to some music, watch a couple of in-flight movies, enjoy a meal, make a plan of action, and rest.

Setsuka would finish reading the proposals for three Pinnacle Studios films and make decisions on them, finish going over the next year's Fall Collection, memorize the script Director Ogata had forwarded to her email for her next scenes while eating her salad, and drift off to sleep, snuggling into her flight-buddy.

Reino/Danny would sit quietly jotting down a few lyrics, watch the in-flight movie, eat his dinner, and thoroughly enjoy the delightful, cuddly reward for his patience, and drift off to sleep with his arms wrapped around a very special female, hoping that it would never ever end, hoping that whomever had chased her into his arms, would continue to do so.


	39. Chapter 39

_**Chapter 39**_

* * *

It had been three days since she left Karuizawa, and Kuon still hadn't heard anything from her. He'd called and left messages at every opportunity that he had, and Yashiro was looking into her whereabouts too; although, after speaking to Lory, Yashiro didn't seem too worried. However, he probably would have been if Lory would have included him in on the little bit of knowledge that she was with her ex.

"Takarada-san told me that she's fine. She's on vacation." Yashiro told him as they ate their dinner, in Ren's suite on their last night in Karuizawa. He honestly didn't know that she'd left with Ren's rival for her heart after the misunderstanding. He truly believed that the news would calm his worried mind. It did not. It worried him even more. "Ren? Is there something wrong?" Yashiro asked when he saw Ren's face completely go blank without any expression whatsoever.

Kuon sighed inwardly and nodded. "Why wouldn't I be Yashiro-san?" He wasn't about to let Yashiro in on the small fact that she'd left the hotel with that singer or the other fact that Lory may not know about it. He wasn't about to get her into trouble if he was wrong, he'd caused her enough stress by not stopping her when she left the trailer, and clearing up their misunderstanding immediately. It was quite possible that she was on vacation with Ruto watching over her as he had been in Karuizawa.

* * *

"That was incredible, Danny!" She told him excitedly as they exited the stadium after the concert let out. "I can see now what draws you to things like this."

He chuckled while wrapping his arm around her protectively so she wouldn't get lost in the crowd. "Vie Ghoul isn't as good as they are, but we've got our foot in the door."

She looked up at him expectantly.

He nodded. "We're opening for them in New York next week." He explained.

Her eyes went wide. "That's great! They wouldn't have approved if you guys weren't any good." She told him.

"I won't get to see you for awhile." He told her a little quietly.

She poked his side, and gave him a mischievous smile. "What? You don't know how to use a computer or phone?" She giggled, pulling him into a small restaurant.

He groaned a little, following her. "You know that's not what I want." He groused.

She stopped in the doorway and stroked his cheek, and sighed. "I know what you want Danny, but it's not good for either of us. We've already talked about this, and we both agreed that neither of us would be able to put in the time or effort that's needed right now." _or ever_. She added mentally.

"Yeah... I know... Come on." He pulled her to an empty table. "Let's enjoy the moment. I have to head out with the band tomorrow and I don't want to think about how much I'm going to miss you right now."

She pouted playfully and then smiled. "I promise to try and attend one of your concerts if I'm in the area." She crossed her heart and winked.

 _Empty words._ He thought. He knew she was going to be too busy. She was a good actress, and she had so many other things on her plate. He honestly didn't think she'd see another vacation like this for a very long time. He wanted the subject changed. He didn't want to be thinking of anything so depressing when he needed to be focused on his music very soon. He looked up and flicked her hair, then smirked. "Your mother's gonna kill you." He chuckled referring to her now more mature, shorter cut that she'd decided on the prior day.

She rolled her golden eyes at him. "She'll just be happy that I've decided to stop wearing my contacts. Besides, I left the color." She told him, tussling the short blonde locks, still not used to the short length.

He shrugged his shoulders as their server laid out their menus. "Still looks good."

She smiled cheekily. "I know."

* * *

Lory groaned a little. He did not want to be the one to break the news to Ten. She was going to pitch a fit, but the upside to it all is the fact that Setsu took out her contacts and hadn't worn them for the past few days, according to Ruto. Perhaps it was a good sign or a change she'd made to get her mind off of Kuon. Not that Lory was even aware of what had happened between the two. The boy had been even more closed off than before, and Yashiro was at his wit's end. Lory was looking forward to her return. Maybe he could get Ten to wheedle something out of her.

* * *

Kuon was at the end of his tether. He'd been trying everything to keep the anxiety at bay. First he'd gone through a few bottles of whiskey. He tried loud music, it sometimes helped. It had been almost a week since she'd left for her vacation, and now he was at the physical exertion phase. Up to the apartment complex pool for a few laps in the morning and down to the gym in the basement until the point of exhaustion in the evenings. What he needed was someone to talk to, but there was no one that he could think of or trust not to gush over his dilemma. Yashiro and Lory were definitely out of the question. He quickly brushed the thought to call his father out of his mind. Kuu would have been just as bad, he guessed. Besides, he wasn't ready to climb that mountain yet, he was still filming Dark Moon.

He groaned a little and increased his training pace. _Calm down Kuon. You don't know what's going on with her. Wait until she comes back and let her know she_ _ **isn't**_ _your little sister._ He grimaced at that thought. There was no way he could think of her like that now. Not with imaginary images of her with Reino running around in his mind.

He grimaced, hitting the heavy punching bag a little harder than desired. He pulled his hand back and shook it off. He sighed a little defeatedly and grabbed his towel. He really didn't need to be injuring himself, he had a photo shoot in the morning and didn't want to hear Yashiro scolding him for the bruises on his knuckles. He wiped everything down and made his way back up to his apartment to soak his fists in ice.

* * *

She had to admit, her last couple of days in Honolulu had been quite relaxing. Actually this was the most relaxed she had been in a very long time, even if she was fully aware of Ruto being there. She'd actually known about him from the time she got off the plane, she'd seen him in coach as they disembarked. It was the primary reason she got a hotel room on a separate floor, far from Danny. Shock and disappointment were two looks she didn't want to see in her pseudo-uncle's eyes. She wasn't brazen or stupid. Not to mention the fact that she'd had a few misgivings about just taking off with Danny in the first place. Call it a moment of weakness on her part, and the desire to be treated like a woman instead of a bothersome little sister. She quickly brushed that thought away. Her time in Hawaii had been too nice to taint it with those negative thoughts. If she wasn't woman enough for him now, she never would be. _Besides, his heart belongs to someone else._ Remembering what he'd said to Bo. No longer entertaining the childish thought that it could possibly be her. _I don't want another Danny situation._ She told herself, grabbing the surfboard, she gracefully glided into the foamy water to catch a large wave, and clear her mind of any possible romantic thought.

There was just something about the peace and solitude of being surrounded in a tunnel of water, alone. _Maybe I should look into a few spots in Japan._ The thought really hadn't occurred to her until this moment of peace. _Okinawa is somewhat tropical, isn't it?_ She smiled, ducked and weaved, riding out the wave to the shore, completely relaxed, bikini-clad and lightly tanned. _Hopefully not too tanned for the pasty complexion of Mio._ She shrugged her shoulders at the thought as she wrapped her sarong loosely around her hips, gathered her things at the lockers and made her way back to the rental shack to turn in the rented board. "Time for some local cuisine." She smiled brightly and waved in the direction of Ruto. "Join me for dinner, Uncle?" She called out with a giggle.

Ruto just shook his head in the shadows, smiled and revealed himself. "What did you have in mind, Setsu?"


	40. Chapter 40

_**Chapter 40**_

* * *

"So, do you want to talk about what happened?" He asked as they settled into their seats of the private plane Lory had sent to pick up the pair.

She shrugged her shoulders, furrowed her brow, and gave a little pout, then looked out the window as they took off. She sighed. "I guess... I suppose I was just being stupid." She murmured.

Ruto reached across and wiped the small tear. "And what do you think you were being stupid about?"

"I... saw something that wasn't there..." She shook her head. "No... That's not quite it. I guess I saw more than what was actually there, and twisted the truth of what it was."

He looked at her curiously. "What did you misunderstand?"

She shook her head. "Nothing... I'll be fine, Uncle. I understand now. I won't mistake it again." She plastered on her fake smile, pulled her compact from her bag, and fixed her makeup.

Ruto sat back in his seat, and nodded. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

She smiled back at him to show him she was fine, and nodded. "I'm not ten anymore, Uncle. I'll be fine."

"Alright, but if you need someone to talk to... You know where I am." He gave her a small smile and sat back into his seat.

 _I'll be fine. I just need to pull myself together again and stop being such a child_. She chuckled at herself inwardly.

* * *

She rolled her eyes at the sight that met her at the airport, then grinned. "You look ridiculous, Papa."

Lory chuckled and swept her into a hug. "You had me very worried young lady." He gave her a very somber look. "I expect an explanation." He told her with a raised brow.

She swallowed a little thickly. "Sorry..." She murmured. "I wasn't thinking clearly, but I understand now." She told him with a look that told him that she'd felt she'd embarrassed herself and someone else and didn't want to talk about it. Although, she did seem a little distant.

"Did that musician harm you?" He asked in an overprotective parent way, wanting to kick himself for allowing her to leave without him.

She groaned a little as he slipped into the limo after her. "No, he did not. I know Ruto already told you everything and Danny wouldn't force me into anything, if that's what you're implying."

He chuckled a little and ruffled her newly cut hair. He grimaced a little. "You do know that Ten is going to be very upset by what you did with your hair?"

"I know, but I needed a change and Honolulu was a little hot." She sighed out.

He nodded. "Did you want to put in your contacts before we stop at LME?" He asked a little cautiously.

She shook her head. "I'm taking a break from them." She gave him a little smirk. "Maybe I'll switch to another color later, maybe not."

He shook his head. "Alright, but let me know first so I can prepare myself this time."

She nodded and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Daddy."

* * *

To be perfectly honest, it really didn't take much digging to find out where she was, that she didn't stay with anyone else in Hawaii or, the fact that she'd spent a significant amount of her vacation either with Ruto or, alone surfing. However, he didn't know about the new look or why she felt the need for such a drastic change. It was something that Lory would chalk up to just being a teenager. She'd been through a lot in her life, she'd been relatively smart about her relationship, and she hadn't turned to most of the vices that teens in her situation, with her resources, normally did. In that aspect Kuon knew that Lory was pretty open-minded, but it did still irritate him; although, it wasn't like _**he'd**_ never indulged before, and indulged with women that he'd harbored absolutely **no** feelings for. Perhaps that's what irritated him about her leaving with Reino, she'd had feelings for him at some point and there was that very real possibility that she could easily turn back to him or, was he just being a chauvinist pig about the whole thing by allowing it to bother him so much. It wasn't like **he** was a virgin, pure as the driven snow. Why would he expect her to be? He felt she had gone through so much more than him. He felt a little ashamed for thinking so biased on the matter. It's not like he'd actually made it completely clear to her how he felt. What he'd said could have easily been misinterpreted, otherwise he wouldn't be in the predicament he was in at the moment.

Hopefully on Monday, he would be able to clear things up with her. He did not want her thinking that he thought of her as a little sister, for any longer than it took to find her, and stop this madness that was eating a hole in his chest.

* * *

She always loved LME on the weekends, it was so laid back and relaxed, with hardly anyone around. It made it easy to appreciate the little subtle nuances of her godfather's hand in the overall decorative design when she wasn't being bombarded with love messages around every corner. There were the classic paintings in the lobby, the sculptures in LA Hearts, the painstaking decorative carvings on the varnished mahogany of the front entry desks, his secretary's and his own desk, and the fact that the groundskeepers would rotate the plants to the garden on the roof and bring down fresh almost every evening. It always kept everything feeling so beautiful and alive. One would never really feel like they were stuck in an office building in the city center.

Setsuka heard a female gasp and looked up from the freshly polished marble of Lory's office. "I'm sorry, Mum."

Lory left to his back office to change into something more comfortable and Ten just shook her head with a soft smile as she pulled the clearly distressed girl into her arms. "It suits you. I think you look adorable." She told her as she pulled her into her mini salon, sat her down and began heating some water in the microwave for tea. "What made you decide to finally cut it?" She asked as she sat next to her on the sofa, and gently fingered the loose strands.

Setsu pulled her legs onto the sofa and leaned into the cushions on the arm and Jelly saw a quick flash of pain in her eyes that was brushed aside. Setsu sighed, closed her golden eyes and took in a calming breath. "I was just being stupid, naive, and childish." She gave what she believed to be a reassuring smile. "I'm fine now."

Jelly Woods bit back the anger, deciding that she would get the whole story out of her before she chose to go after whomever put that old familiar look of pain on her goddaughter's face again. She stood abruptly and poured the steeping tea, looked up at Setsuka, smiled and motioned for her to sit in her chair. "Well, I suspect you'd like to finish the transformation? You had mentioned something before when you got back from Italy." She gave her a mischievous wink. "And I just cannot have my lovely daughter walking around incomplete. Besides, I have a new makeup line I found."

Setsu looked up at her a little surprised and nodded. "You don't mind coloring it for me?"

Jelly giggled. "Not at all Sweetie. It's been awhile since it's just been us girls." She smiled as she placed the towel around Setsu's neck and the styling cape fluttered around her. "Hmm, how about we put in some subtle highlights?" She asked, running her fingers through Setsu's hair.

Setsu nodded. "But not too much. I don't want to give Director Ogata a heart attack." She smirked.

Jelly laughed. "It shouldn't, you still have the wig for Mio. So... What made you believe you were being childish, and naive?" She asked casually as she prepped Setsu's hair and mixed the strawberry-blonde dye.

Setsu sighed after taking a sip of the fresh Earl Grey. "I..." She groaned a little. "I thought Kuon saw me as something other than a little sister." She mumbled a little ashamedly. "I mean... Well, I suppose he's never really done anything to make anyone think otherwise. Although, there was that time during our acting practice, but he said he was just acting... so that really doesn't count." It was always so easy to talk to Ten, and in this particular matter, she really didn't have a problem opening up to her. She was fairly confident that Ten wouldn't say anything, and the Makeup Witch did have a somewhat dubious relationship with Lory. Ten _**would**_ understand. "It's just, well, I don't know why I thought he loved me in _**that**_ way when he said it. He's always treated me like a little sister and he says it to Maria all the time. So... I really can't blame _**him**_ for any of _**my**_ misunderstandings." She explained in a small voice.

Jelly patted her shoulder. "Is that the reason for the change, and unexpected trip with Danny?"

She gave her a small nod. "I suppose I was just tired of being treated like a little girl with a crush. Indulged for the sake of him not wanting to hurt my feelings."

"Are you sure that's what it was? Did he actually say it to you?" Jelly was starting to get a little irritated with Ren-chan for not being clear with her, regarding his intentions.

Setsu sighed. "No, not really me, but he did say that he was in love with someone, and he couldn't allow himself to, a while ago... He told Bo." She groaned. "Ugh, I should have never held onto that job. I'm starting to regret it more and more now." She pouted. "But he just looked so helpless and I knew he wouldn't talk to me as myself."

Jelly sighed a little as she began the process of dying Setsu's hair. "Does he know it was you in the costume?"

"Yeah... I told him the day I left for Hawaii and he _**definitely**_ was not happy about it. I wouldn't be surprised if he never associates with me again. I think I crossed a line with it." She confessed with a groan.

"Hmmm, have you tried to call him since?" Jelly asked, knowing that Lory and Kuon both had been trying to reach her for the past week and a half.

Setsuka's eyes went wide, and she groaned again. "I haven't been able to check any of my messages. I've just been communicating through Uncle Ruto. I dropped my phone in the hotel pool and forgot to get a replacement."

Jelly patted her on the shoulder. "Alright, alright calm down." She told the distressed little pixie. "Do you still have it?"

Setsu pouted, and gave her a nod.

Jelly handed Setsu her bag and held out her hand. "You still have about 30 minutes for that to take. Sit there and I'll run it down to Tanaka in the IT Department and see if there's anything he can do for you. Ren-chan and his manager are always doing things like this to their phones. I'm sure he can help out... discretely." She gave her a smile and a wink. "If not, we'll just have to get you a replacement this evening or tomorrow."

"Thank you Mum. I don't know what I'd do without you. You always make things a little brighter." She gave her a small smile, and Jelly handed her a styling magazine.

"Here, take a look at this and let me know what you like when I get back." She told her with a wink.


	41. Chapter 41

_**Chapter 41**_

* * *

Ten, a.k.a Jelly Woods was at an impasse on what she should disclose to _Darling_. Her thoughts were deeply steeped in what her goddaughter had revealed. How was she supposed to inform Lory that his godson was doing the exact thing to Setsuka that he was doing to her, or so it seemed? Treating her feelings as if they were some childlike crush, at least it seemed like it. What was she supposed to say to Setsuka? Tell her to grin and bear it for the rest of her life for an unsatisfying relationship? She shook her head and sighed. _NO!_ She was not about to allow her sweet daughter to fall into **that** mire of quicksand. She did not care what Lory's thoughts on love were regarding something like this. He didn't even know love when it was directed at him or... he did and just didn't care. Her shoulders slumped at that thought. She shook her head, stared at the little flamboyantly decorated smart phone in her hand that had just been restored, and nodded. She knew what advice to give, even if _Darling_ didn't agree with it.

"Well, it's just about time to rinse that out." She announced with a smile as she opened the door to her small salon. "Oh, Tanaka was able to restore your phone." She smiled brightly and handed the pensive girl the phone.

Setsuka smiled softly. "Thanks Mum."

After motioning for Setsuka to follow her to the basin to rinse away the old Setsuka, Ten sat her down, and adjusted the seat. "I've been thinking about what you said." She told her, checking the temperature of the water. "I'm not going to tell you to just walk away. That's your decision, but I want you to consider a few things..." She told her as she rinsed. "Are you happy with being treated like that? Is it something that you're willing to live with? Always the little sister type? Forever a little girl in his eyes?"

Setsuka glanced up at her and started to say something, but was silenced as Ten held up her index finger.

"Are you willing to settle for a wrapped candy when you tell him that you love him?" She finished and Setsu could see the sadness in her Mum's eyes at the question.

Setsu reached up and stroked Ten's forearm in a comforting gesture. She knew how long the wonderful woman had put up with Lory's antics and sympathized with her. "No... I don't think I have the strength for that." She murmured.

Jelly nodded her head, and slicked the conditioning rinse through the girl's hair, then smiled. "Good girl... I wouldn't expect you to." She gave her a sad smile. "You are worth more than that and deserve to be happy. Don't ever allow anyone to convince you that your feelings aren't important enough to be addressed properly." She told her in a somewhat lecturing tone. "Now, let's get you all dolled up." She smirked mischievously while brandishing a hair dryer in one hand and styling brush in the other.

* * *

He felt like a complete idiot, constantly checking his phone for any sign of a response. Surely she got his voice messages and his texts. So... Why didn't she ever respond? He'd heard from Yashiro that she'd been picked up from the airport by Lory on Saturday, now it was Sunday, almost a full 24 hours since touchdown and there was still radio silence.

He wanted to kick himself for allowing Yashiro to interrupt their moment in Karuizawa. No, that wasn't right... It wasn't anyone's fault, but his own. He was the one that chose work over her that moment. He was the one that froze there when she took his response wrong. He's the one that didn't insist upon talking to her during breaks or before she left. He's the one that didn't drop everything, like his father would have, and chase after her to Honolulu. This was his own fault and he needed to fix it. He needed to take the opportunities given, instead of allowing them to slip through his fingers. He needed to stop being such a chicken. _A chicken..._ He groaned a little at that thought. It was one that had been running through his mind more often than not for the past 10 days. The dreams of Rick lecturing him as an adult didn't help much either. He chuckled wryly. Rick would have definitely put a foot up his backside in this situation for sure.

* * *

" _Come on Setsu... Please pick up... For chrissake I do not think of you as a little sister! We need to talk about this..."_ He sighed a little and she could tell he was frustrated at this point. It was his 27th message, after all. _"Please? You're the only one I've ever felt like this for."_ She could tell he was clearly distressed. The 11 messages that followed were similar in nature and she was in tears when she'd finished listening. She was definitely at a point of self-loathing for making him suffer and thinking even for a moment that she'd caused him any pain at all. She honestly didn't know how to even face him after this event.

* * *

She'd overreacted and she was fully aware of it. He wasn't the one that needed to fix this, she was and she knew that. She couldn't help, but see that perhaps she was behaving a little childish. Something that she'd vowed a long time ago not to do. She couldn't afford to allow herself the luxury of pouting to get her way, or stomping off in a huff when someone offended her, or she was aware now... of pushing someone out of her life because of her own fears. She had a lot of time to think about it while in Hawaii. Sure, at that time she'd thought he only saw her as a little sister, but after what Ten had said and after listening to his messages, she didn't want to even think what life would be like if anything happened to him and she didn't have the opportunity to tell him that she did love him and didn't care if he only saw her as a little sister. But, that was a moot point, he didn't see her as a little sister, judging from his messages, and she just wasn't in the same position that Ten had been in for so many years.

This was precisely why she was, where she was at the moment.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

 _ **KNOCK... KNOCK... KNOCK...**_

"Who the hell could that be?" He groaned out and flipped on the living room light. It wasn't quite dark enough out to be considered night yet, but not light enough to be considered day. He didn't order dinner and Yashiro hadn't said he was stopping by, and the neighbors basically kept to themselves.

He peered through the peephole and saw the most stunning redhead, dressed in a pair of faded leather pants that laced up the sides, a wispy red blouse, and a studded leather purse. She seemed a little familiar and looked a bit upset and lost. Never let it be said that Kuon Hizuri would leave a damsel in distress to fend for herself. So, he opened the door. No, not to be a lecherous ass, but to honestly lend a hand where needed. It wouldn't be good to leave a potential new neighbor on her own if she needed help.

"I'm sorry." He heard a familiar voice murmur as she stared at her feet. "I'm so sorry." He watched in confusion as he saw the little droplets of moisture hit the toes of her brown suede leather boots.

He was stunned at the vision. "Setsu?" He questioned, thinking that he was hallucinating, and saw a short nod. He quickly pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I thought..." She started and he cut her off, pulling her into the apartment.

"Can we just stay here for a moment. I want to make sure it's really you." He breathed out. She nodded.

He tilted her head up to face him. "What about that singer you're dating?" He asked a little brokenly, with sadness in his eyes.

She shook her head. "We aren't dating. Only friends." She told him.

He pulled away a little and sighed. "What kind of friends?" He furrowed his brow.

She shook her head again and gave him a little frown. "Not the kind you're thinking of, Kuon. I made that very clear."

He nodded. "Good... I don't want you to have friends like that. Not if I'm with you."

She frowned a little. "Y-You still want to be with me? Even after how I behaved?"

He pulled her into another hug. "Setsu, I already told you I love you. I want long term. I thought I made that clear to you in Karuizawa, but in case I did not... Setsuka Heel... I Kuon Hizuri would like to officially date you with the prospect to eventually marry you. I will not pressure you or expect anything intimate until our wedding night... I respect you. I reserve the right to be insanely jealous at times, but will try to control it..." He smiled a little at her. "But I'm not going to guarantee that I won't pulverize any guy that can't keep their hands to themselves..." He raised an eyebrow. "That includes, but is not limited to any member of the music community." He gave her a quick chaste kiss. "Never doubt me again... Got it?"

She nodded sharply. "I promise..." She whispered and snuggled into him. "I'm sorry..." She started, but was silenced with a finger to her lips.

"Just don't do it again. My heart couldn't take losing you like that." He warned.

"I won't." She promised.


	42. Chapter 42

_**Chapter 42**_

* * *

Lory Takarada... Never let it be said that he is not a schemer, a sadist, or an individual that is always looking for some type of entertainment. Not the bad kind of entertainment, but something that would keep him busy. Granted yes, he does enjoy a good romance, and he does enjoy watching love bloom, but he also likes the rush of a good honest scandal every now and then, and he usually has a very unique way of combining nearly every facet of the above into the solution.

No one is immune to his ministrations... No one. Not even those he would consider family. Which is precisely why we have a cute red-head with golden eyes, and a very tall pseudo-brunet with hidden green eyes, sitting in his office, staring in abject horror, maybe a little bit of guilt, a smidgen of embarrassment, and a whole lot of shock, at a stack of tabloids, printed articles from the internet, and multiple photos while being lectured for not being conscious of their surroundings. Which by the way, taking into consideration how long they've been in the limelight, at least one of them should have known better than canoodling in the park and various other locations, and the little impromptu date in Karuizawa that had started a whole host of other rumors that were given to the press by a so-called _"reliable source"_. Of course, our _"reliable source"_ was still banished from all Tokyo recording studios for at least another three weeks, but I digress on his convoluted plan to _"take down"_ Ren Tsuruga.

Hmm, let's see where was I heading with this? Ah yes, the solution to the little scandalous problem and rumors. Actually a solution to more than one problem, in Lory's mind. An age old solution, in fact. One that would give the male enough responsibility not to flee from his problems, as he was known to do in the past, by leaving the country and his parents, and one that would guarantee to the female that there was at least one on the planet that would more than willingly stay by her side at all costs. Said solution would also cure the pair of their aversion to deep, meaningful, adult relationships. At least, it would with how Lory would administer it.

Both sat with mouths agape, as he inwardly smirked at his own genius, yet kept up his very serious and stern façade. Both were instantly regretting, but not regretting the words, "I'll do anything you ask." to this wily man. They really should have known better, all things considered. Neither wished to voice said regret, lest they offend the other and destroy the one they sincerely cared about with all their hearts. So, with pens in hand, signatures were given and rules were established.

To preserve the reputations of both, the news would be released to the press when Lory felt the time was right. The impromptu trip to Hawaii two months ago, by the female would be passed off as preparation for said event, seeing that is was a known fact that she had been accompanied by her chaperon, Ruto and a close friend that willingly conceded his loss to the true owner of her heart, when asked later on.

The male would keep his promise of not touching her until their wedding night, but with the caveat administered by her godfather, that he would not consummate their union until she was no younger than the age of 18, and they would not live together until then either. Lory also added the not so small stipulation that the male would need to present to Kuu and Juli their brand new Daughter In Law, _very soon_.

Yes, Lory Takarada was very proud of himself, and pleased that he could prolong the torture of his two charges. He would anxiously await the monumental amount of sexual tension that awaited the pair and the future resulting explosion 13 months from the current date, and the public would wait with bated breath to see if he had married her out of duty or out of love. Honestly, this really was their own faults for not being more discrete with their affections like the _proper_ Japanese couple they were attempting to portray. Had it only been one little kiss or hug, hidden covertly, it wouldn't have been such a big deal; however, neither were raised Japanese and both were very liberal with their public displays of affection.

* * *

Lory had told him to upset her if he wished to get Kuon to speak to him. The boy had been avoiding telling his parents, to keep the fanfare at a minimum. He knew that both of his parents would blow everything out of proportion, and his mother would definitely demand something to the equivalent of a royal wedding.

Kuon and Setsu were still recovering from Lory's initial scheming on the matter, and the reactions from those around them. Yashiro's fangirling was at its maximum. Maria was constantly hinting at the prospect of new babies, as was Ten... As if not being able to touch her until she was 18 wasn't enough of a trial for both of them. Not to mention, they weren't allowed to be alone or unsupervised in Kuon's apartment, and were forced to now disguise themselves when out on public dates in order to avoid the press. Everything was only just starting to die down once again and fade into the ether of the rumor mill. The press was of the firm belief that all of the rumors had been just that, and let it die down as some publicity stunt to try and change the couple's desirability status with the masses.

All of the above did not prevent Kuu from taking Lory's advice. He hated that the man had told him to be difficult with Setsuka, but how else was he going to get that boy to at least talk to him?

" _What do you think of all the rumors, Fuwa-san? You know the ones between Tsuruga-san and Kyoko-chan?"_ The interviewer asked a little mischievously, hoping to get a little behind the scenes info.

He leaned back in his seat with a smug smile. _"I don't really keep up with those kinds of things."_ He answered coolly.

" _Weren't you in Karuizawa when all of this started? Didn't you see anything?"_ She asked, almost chomping at the bit.

Setsuka twitched in irritation. It was probably this ass that started the whole damn thing. She growled inwardly, staring at the television.

Sho shrugged. _"I really wouldn't know. I was either at the recording studio or in my hotel room, working on my new album the entire time."_

" _ **Lying wanker!"**_ She spat out as Kuu sat next to her. _**"He's probably the one that started the whole mess!"**_ She growled out with furrowed brow, nearly snapping the wooden spoon she was holding in her lap.

" _ **You want to talk about it, Sweetie?"**_ Kuu asked rubbing her shoulder soothingly. _**"Lory won't tell me anything and the only thing me and Juli have been able to get is from those stupid tabloids."**_

She leaned back on the sofa and rested her head on the back. She sighed. She wasn't about to lie to her Uncle Kuu about all of this, so she pulled out her phone and called Kuon to let him know about the situation.

" _Hey Babe, I saw on TV that you're with Dad. Is everything okay?"_ He asked with concern in his voice.

" _ **Don't go spare Love, he just wants to know the bits behind all the rumors."**_ She explained, wincing a little. She knew that he wasn't quite ready for this and would most likely put it off speaking to Kuu as long as possible. She sighed a little. _**"Kuon, it's not my cup of tea either, but we have been chatting about this for the past two weeks. It's not fair to them and they need to know."**_

Thankfully he was alone in his dressing room for this call or Yashiro would be witness to some of the rare faces of Ren at the moment. His brow furrowed and he groaned a little. _"I know... Just... What room? I think we should tell him together."_

" _ **Room 1201. Thank you, Love... For doing this for me. I know it's hard for you. I love you."**_ She told him softly.

He smirked into the phone. _"Love you too, Wife. See you in about an hour."_ He chuckled and hung up.

She turned to Kuu and gave him a small smile. "He'll be here in an hour, Uncle Kuu."

Kuu leaned back in his seat and sighed, then gave her a thoughtful look with a knowing nod. _**"Now, what's this I hear about you refusing jobs?"**_

She groaned a little, and rolled her eyes. _**"I just don't want to be stuck with being a villain."**_ She whined a little and he flicked her forehead. _**"Ow!"**_ She pouted.

" _ **What? You think they're just going to hand you the best roles when they don't even know what you're capable of? Setsu, they don't know you here and you've only been doing this for a short time. You can't expect them to just place all of their trust in you with nothing to show for it."**_ He lectured, following her to the kitchen to watch her cook, and maybe help out a little.


	43. Chapter 43

_**Chapter 43**_

* * *

When Kuu told her to portray Kuon when he was a teen, internally she adamantly refused. She had seen him _**very**_ briefly during that time, just as she left for boarding school. Now that she had more time to think of it, she felt guilty knowing that he was having just as hard of a time as she was. Kuu and Juli may have doted upon him when he was around them, but they certainly didn't make time for him, and include him as Sean and Lilly had done for her. He had essentially raised himself or she should say that Rick had raised him, as much as that thought bothered her. So, looking at it that way, he'd lost his parent too, and going on that line of logic, he'd suffered as much as she did and he certainly didn't have the emotional support like she did. They only saw Rick as his friend and mentor. They didn't see it for what it was. Thinking this over and knowing all of this, she chose a form of Kuon when she remembered him happy, before he started blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault. Kuu didn't need to know why.

It was certainly an experience. Lory had been a bit Oya baka, but he paled in comparison to Kuu. Where Lory went over the top in other areas, she supposed that Kuu went over the top to make up for his other faults. It's not like it was a bad thing and it wasn't like something that could be helped. It just happened. She wondered if she would ever be able to help pull Kuon out of his self-loathing. He did seem to be doing better though. He had even been the one to finally agree on the meeting between them, and he voluntarily made the videos to send to his mother with his original look. Although, she wasn't too terribly pleased that he'd made the stipulation that he wouldn't do it if she didn't. So, Kuon had made the one video message as himself, and they both made the marriage announcement video together. Ten had returned his hair to its natural color, and she was as pleased as pudding when Setsuka agreed to wear a long black wig with her golden eyes for the video for Juli.

To say that Kuu's visit was an extremely exhausting ordeal would have been the understatement of the century. At least it was two less people they needed to worry about.

* * *

"I have a surprise for you, Juli-Bear." He told her, sitting next to her on the sofa and wrapping his arms around her, after slipping the DVDs into their proper trays.

Juli looked up at Kuu, a little confused.

He smiled softly, and pressed play. The first had been Kuon's heartfelt greeting to his mother, and his promise to be home soon. He'd mentioned that he missed her and for the first time in a very long while, he was giving the camera an honest smile. He genuinely looked contented. Juli's heart was finally at ease.

The second video had completely shocked her, and excited her beyond words. She'd been a bit put out that she hadn't been able to participate in the uniting event, but to see the golden-eyed, younger version of her deceased best friend, sitting next to Kuon filled her heart with joy. What she and Lilly had promised to each other all those years ago, had come to pass. She was thrilled that Setsuka looked just as happy as Kuon, even if they both looked a little nervous and embarrassed.

After Kuu had told her what Lory had done, and the rules that went with it, she laughed. It would be good for them. She firmly believed that Kuon had entirely too many meaningless relationships in the past, and from what she had gathered about Setsuka, after her first real boyfriend and how it ended, she would head in that direction too. Setsuka didn't have the people around her and the same emotional support that Kuon had when he started his trek down that path, and she wasn't sure that the girl would come out of it unscathed, in her opinion. Double standards were rampant in society, it was okay for a man to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh, but if a woman does they're called impure or a slut. It was a fact of life that disgusted Juli and Kuu.

They were in agreement on the fact that this was the best solution for both Setsuka and Kuon, especially since they did love each other. The fact that Lory was requiring them to abstain for the next year, with the fact that both were bound by marriage, was genius. Both had been raised in families that firmly believed in the vows taken and given in marriage, screwing around after said vows would never even enter their minds, and divorce would _**never**_ be an option.

"How much would you like to bet that she'll be pregnant not even a month after her 18th?" Juli grinned slyly.

Kuu snorted. "I would say sooner, with the way Maria and Ten were going on about having babies around. I wouldn't be surprised if they've already switched out or hidden her birth control pills." He chuckled.

Juli swatted him on the shoulder. "Kuu, have a little faith in our son."

Kuu laughed. "I do Jules. I have faith, that as a Hizuri male, he'll get her pregnant just by breathing on her when things get a little too hot and heavy." He teased.

And so the conversation went on in such a manner that the pair was left wondering exactly in how many different ways Lory was planning on testing the new couple's resolve. Wondering if their children would make it further than they themselves had when Lory had focused on them all those years ago.

* * *

She didn't know where or when it happened, but somewhere along the way her skirts got a little longer, and her blouses were covering more of her top. She guessed that it was when she and Kuon first started dating and had to start wearing disguises to go out on dates in peace. Over the months she developed a more professional sense of style. Something that was infinitely less rebellious than before. Needless to say, Kuon did appreciate the gradual change. He did not like strange men openly gawking at his wife, regardless of his presence. He suspected that she'd subconsciously picked up on his displeasure and made the adjustment. Although, it did get more than one comment from Lory on how boring she was getting. Ten was a little overly happy about it though.

How was Setsuka supposed to know that the reason for Ten and Maria's gleeful demeanor wasn't even remotely about her more muted sense of style? Nope, not even remotely close. Actually, Kuu's hypothesis had been a bit more on the money than anyone would suspect. It wasn't that he didn't trust his son and new daughter-in-law, he just knew those that conspired around them, very well. However, of course Kuon and Setsu would start to suspect something during the combination Birthday/Happy Grateful Party, when they kept being thrown into unusual situations throughout the evening by the cunning pair.

Fortunately, Kanae and Yuki had been looking out for them. They all knew something was up only days earlier when Setsuka had been asked by Kanae why she was swallowing a tiny breath mint every morning instead of her birth control prescription. They both then closely inspected the packaging and noticed that the protective foil had been carefully peeled back and replaced. Thankfully, she and Kuon hadn't had any moments of passionate slips...yet, but she did let him know during their next dinner date that evening.

Where was I? Ah, yes. We were discussing Lory's schemes to build their sexual tension to a nearly impossible level and Ten and Maria's scheming to take advantage of said tension in order to produce the darling little future generation that would surely result. So, Kanae and Yuki would spend the entire evening removing barricades in front of doors not meant to lock, unlocking doors that were, and watching holiday aperitifs like a pair of hawks to prevent any extra additives. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on whose side one is on, no future generations would be conceived that night, but there were quite a few stolen kisses and hidden snuggles.


	44. Chapter 44

_**Chapter 44**_

* * *

 _Eleven months and fifteen days left._ They kept telling themselves as mouths tasted, hands roamed, fingers palpated. What kind of hell did he live in where a man couldn't indulge in the delicacies of his own wife? Lory needed to be shot in front of a very large firing-squad, publicly. He was completely stressed out from being bombarded at every turn by gifts of every shape and size for his birthday, so when Setsuka entered his filled dressing room with the shyest look he'd ever seen on her face, and asked Yuki if she could speak to him privately, then locked the door behind him, he really wasn't sure what to expect.

"Um... I've never done anything like this before... so tell me if I'm doing it wrong." She murmured, blushing like a beacon in a storm, and she wasn't lying. She'd truly never done anything like what she was about to do before and he could tell by her bright red face.

"Set...?" His question was interrupted by a very passionate kiss and a pair of small hands all over him. Too shocked to know what was happening, he felt her lithe body slide down and before he knew exactly what was going on, his eyes were rolling back into his head and he felt like his knees would buckle from the wet warmth of her mouth and the gentle pressure of her tongue as it teased him. "Oh god..." He groaned as he hazily gazed down into the wide, beautiful golden eyes of his young wife.

The fact that she'd never done anything like that before was very obvious, but the other fact that she decided that she was doing that for him was more than enough to send him over the edge of bliss. Even more so when she refused to stop after he warned her of the impending event. He could feel the reflex at the back of her throat, her slight gag, and the tightening of her swallow.

He pulled her into his arms and showered her with kisses, hugging her tightly. "You, my wife, are amazing." He chuckled.

She giggled, still blushing. "Happy Birthday, Kuon." She whispered.

He chuckled. "And here all I got you for your birthday was a rose and stone." He groaned a little at a thought. "What if Boss finds out?"

She smirked, still blushing furiously at the mere thought of what she'd done. "Technically _**we**_ really didn't do anything..."

He chuckled, stroking her cheek. "You are a sneaky one, My Love."

Just in that scant amount of time, she'd been able to carry out what she'd planned on for the first part of his birthday gift. She would give her wolf, his little sheep pillow later at the dinner she'd make for him at Lory's mansion. Thankfully, by the time Yuki had returned, the door was unlocked and Kuon's clothing had been straightened. No one would ever know what Kuon actually got for the first part of his Birthday Gift. He would definitely need to make it up to her on Valentine's Day.

Yuki had always known that Ren's birthday stressed him out, but he really didn't realize how much until Setsuka-chan came to his dressing room to wish him a Happy Birthday. Just that little private hello had completely calmed him. He glanced at Ren and shook his head. _Surely they couldn't have done anything in the short amount of time they'd been alone together. She'd be more disheveled. Wouldn't she? Couldn't have been anything more than just kissing. Although, Ren does look a little flushed, but really relaxed. He must have really needed her company today._ Ah, poor innocent little Yukihito. What he doesn't know, won't scar his fragile little mind.

* * *

The thrill of the hunt... Isn't that what one would call it, or would it be the thrill of potentially getting caught doing something that you know you have been told you couldn't? Did that type of foreplay even count as sex or, consummating their marriage? Either way, Kuon was definitely feeling a tiny thrill searching out all of the nooks and crannies of the locations where he would be near her on Valentine's Day. There was the broom closet on the third floor, down the second hall at Sunrise studios. There was the supply closet in the basement at TBM. Finally, there was the unused janitor's closet on the fourth floor at Fuji TV. He could only hope that they wouldn't be in use when he planned to give her his Valentine's Day gift in two days.

"Ren, where were you? I was looking all over for you." Yuki asked as he approached him in the hall of Fuji.

He chuckled a little, quickly thinking up an excuse for his time missing. "Sorry Yukihito, I got a little distracted, and turned around, ended up a little lost." Which wasn't technically a complete lie. He did get a little turned around, and had to ask for directions to get back to his dressing room. At least the janitor would be a witness to that. He'd given the man the excuse that he was looking for the men's room when he was caught peeking into the tiny room that contained a deep-sink, counters, and walls lined with storage shelves packed with nothing, but paper towels and toilet tissue. He thought back, wondering if they would contribute to the acoustics of the room. He smirked a little at the thought of the possibility of actually needing something to muffle any noise that may come out of that little room.

"Ren, your face is slipping." Yuki grinned, mischievously teasing him.

Kuon's cheeks flushed, and he cleared his throat, trying to think of something other than what had happened a couple of days ago, on his birthday or how badly he wanted to make her scream his name in every language she was versed in. "Thank you. Sorry about that." He mumbled.

* * *

She stared at her friend with mouth agape. "Are you serious? He actually wants us to make chocolates for that many people?" Setsuka groaned. This was something she'd completely forgotten about, that only women passed out the chocolates on Valentine's day. _Kuon hates really sweet things. What do I make for him?_

"Mo! You didn't answer my question. Do you know how or not?" Kanae asked a little frustrated, while her friend was lost in thought on what to give the man in her life.

"Oh... Sorry about that. Yeah, I can help. You want to stop by my place or we can do it at yours." Of course she knew how to make chocolates, Lucius had taught her long ago. They'd even made it a point to still keep in touch. He'd opened up a restaurant in London with the money her parents had left him in the will, and she would visit at least once a month when she was in boarding school. With the thought of the former family chef, she instantly knew what to make for Kuon. _I'll have to remember to call for the recipe._ It was a little something special that her parents would have on their anniversary. She smiled softly at the memory. It was starting to feel a little more nostalgic, than painful lately, and there were a lot of things about her, and Kuon that reminded her of how happy her parents were now that she'd spent time thinking about it.


	45. Chapter 45

_**Chapter 45**_

* * *

Perfect, just perfect, and he wasn't being sarcastic either. His dear little wifey had led him to her dressing room to give him the most delicious wine gelée. Thankfully he'd secured the lock on the door behind them when they walked in, for privacy. Needless to say, he certainly wouldn't need the use of janitor's closet on the fourth floor, and he'd get a taste of the delicious little extra dessert.

He thoroughly enjoyed the little treat she'd made him and to show his thanks, he leaned to her with hand gently caressing up her thigh. His warm, wine-scented breath tickled her ear, making her blush. "Thank you, My Love." He murmured, then kissed her neck just below her ear.

Setsu let out a small aroused whimper.

"Now, to thank you for my Birthday present properly." He gave her a sexy smirk and his lips traveled down to each little point of exposed flesh, nuzzling and inhaling her scent until he met with his final destination.

Setsu's breath hitched. "Kuon... Won't we get caught?"

He chuckled as deftly slid her panties to the side, and nibbled. "I won't tell if you don't."

Her eyes rolled, and her lids fluttered shut with a quiet little moan as she weaved her fingers into his hair. He made a mental note to do this again when they had more time, and his head wasn't under her skirt. He wanted to see the look on her face, especially with the delicious little sounds she was making. Although, he had to admit, this did make it infinitely more exciting than he thought it would. He'd never done anything like this and there was the added thrill that they could have easily been caught in the act if Yukihito decided to look for him and find the janitor with a key.

If he had been watching her, he would have seen that with each long lick, and every little nibble on that very sensitive part of her, that she would bite into the fleshy part of her left hand to stifle the screams that threatened to escape her lips. Ah, but the shudder of her trembling body, and the clenching of her thighs that were now wrapped around his shoulders, was a very good hint at what was going on, and he certainly wasn't going to quit until she begged him to. Her taste was infinitely more exquisite than anything he'd ever tasted.

When her hips bucked and ground into him, he knew she was close and increased the intensity of his activities. "You taste so good, Babe..." He murmured, sending her further and further over the edge, penetrating her with his dexterous digits. "Come for me, Setsu." He murmured, fighting the heat of his own arousal. _Shit, she's going to make me come with her_. He groaned at the thought and it vibrated her already sensitive little pearl of pleasure. She stifled her scream, and he joined her in the pleasure of release when she pulsed around his fingers and tongue.

He repositioned her panties, straightened her skirt, and rested his head in her lap after wiping his mouth. He sighed. "Thank you for letting me do that." He glanced up at her with a satisfied, sexy smile. "Happy Valentine's Day, my stunning wife."

"Thank you Kuon." She murmured, completely relaxed as her fingers sifted gently through his hair. "I love you."

He smiled glanced up at her with a soft smile. "I love you too." He groaned a little. "We should probably get cleaned up." Thank goodness there was a spare change of clothes in his dressing room. _Perhaps it would be a good idea to sneak these pants home and launder them tonight._ Were his final thoughts on the matter as he covered the results of his moments with her, with his jacket he'd slung over his arm.

* * *

He was on lock-down, and now he was being tormented with the disgusting chocolate that Pochi had forced on him. He'd hoped that his little taunt in Karuizawa had crushed Tsuruga, but apparently not. It was irritating. Sure, he was back in Tokyo now, but when he didn't have Shoko on his back, he had his own driver, and Pochi following him around like lost dogs, reporting everything that he did to Shoko. He was a celebrity for pity's sake, not some animal to keep caged. Which was precisely why one would find him wandering the halls of Fuji TV Studios, to avoid said manager, driver, and not-girlfriend, and why one would find him near the dressing rooms of a particular drama, blushing furiously after nosily spying on the activities of a certain married couple.

As much of a player as he was. As much as he touted his masculinity, and his knowledge of the world, said teen boy was still just that, a boy. A boy that still inwardly giggled when the topics of sex were talked about. A boy that still blushed in private when he encountered something particularly racy on television. Was he still a virgin? In the most important aspect, absolutely. Did the sounds of adults potentially having sex in the next room embarrass the hell out of him? Definitely. Would Aki Shoko find him wearing his long coat and blushing furiously at the strangest moments later in his dressing room, of course, but she was pretty sure she didn't want to know what had caused it. Not that he would have confessed anything.

* * *

Lory giggled maniacally in his office. "Oh, ho-ho... Those two thought they were being sneaky. I'll just have to up the ante, if they think they're going to get by with only that." He murmured. He wanted the sexual tension between the two to be explosive and they were playing right in to his hands. _Give each a little taste of what the future held and hold them back as long as possible._ He giggled again at the thought.

Oh no, he wasn't about to separate the pair, but he would make sure that they were never, ever left alone until the absolute right moment. He was not about to allow them to sneak off again to relieve the tension. Those two were going to appreciate every single moment that they were afforded or he was not the LoveMon he was known to be.

He looked up at the young man dressed as a lion tamer and smiled. "Ruto, I need you to make sure those two do not have a single moment unsupervised." He held up a finger. "Don't be obvious about it, though. I mean, a startling sound here and there. Perhaps a knock on a dressing room door at the most inopportune moment or loud footsteps. You know, the usual to startle them and make them aware they could be caught in the act." He instructed.

Ruto chuckled a little inwardly. Lory was a genius at times. He wondered if the man had done the same to Juli and Kuu. He nodded in agreement. "I will make sure, Sir." It would appear that Yukihito would need help in managing the pair. Newlyweds were a two man job.

"Good, good. Now, I wonder how long they will last..." He hummed to himself. Juli and Kuu had lasted eight months, but Kuon as always, was very unpredictable. _Hmm, I'll give him maybe six months._


	46. Chapter 46

_**Chapter 46**_

* * *

Between the tampering of birth control, being on constant alert of their surroundings, being denied what was rightfully theirs, and the knowledge that they had outside forces conspiring against their restricted sex life, the pair was well versed in sneaking around. The male had already scouted every nook and cranny of every building that the two would cross each other's paths in. The female now had two friends, Kanae and Chiori, as lookouts.

Not that Kanae was interested in such things, but Setsuka was her best friend, and if she wanted to fool around with her own husband, far be it for her to object. Setsuka was being safe about it, and barring a birth control mishap, she certainly wasn't going to stop her. Chiori was just amazed at the sneakiness of said immortal butterfly. The girl was astounding in her abilities, her fashion sense, and her will to accomplish and maintain all that she'd done thus far. She was an inspiration. So, if she needed a little stress relief from her busy schedule, Chiori was more that willing to shoot her a little text or clear her throat if needed. Needless to say, the pair was amply covered in escaping Lory, Ruto, and Yukihito.

Lory still had a few things up his sleeve. Especially when he found it funny to introduce Setsuka to an overprotective brother named Cain, that would be making his acting debut. Cain's background was that he was the hidden rebel of a brother that was only known within her family, _**if**_ anyone thought to ask. Neither were too terribly happy about that. Lory decided that a name change was in order for his darling little goddaughter. He couldn't very well have people thinking that Setsuka would cheat on her husband with her non-existent brother, so she would be henceforth known as Suki Heel. If anyone asked? They were Setsuka's strange cousins. It would explain the resemblance and the surname, without any backlash that would come from anything that could possibly happen.

Her look was a bit more rocker chick than how she normally dressed when she first came to Japan. Her hair was a light blonde, instead of platinum and more teased out. The highlights, more of the pink that one would match to the LoveME Section. The eyes, a silver instead of an icy-blue. It honestly didn't take much to alter her appearance and it was widely known that _"The Setsuka Heel"_ did not have a brother. He really didn't see any problems that could come from this. He smirked a little. _Well, maybe not that many._

* * *

 _Did he actually believe that we wouldn't take advantage of this particular situation?_ Setsuka questioned internally as she stared knowingly at the king-sized bed of their hotel suite, then back at Kuon with a sexy little smirk.

He chuckled. "I know what you're thinking. I am too."

"Should we say something about the mix-up?" She grinned.

Kuon raised a brow in thought. "Hmmm, maybe not... maybe tomorrow." He grabbed her by the waist, picked her up and flung her over his shoulder and tossed her on the bed.

She giggled, trailing a well manicured index finger up her husband's chest, gently to his chin. "Hmm, have any plans this evening, Love?" She purred.

He tilted his head and gave her a sexy smile. "Hmm..." He looked up thoughtfully. "I think I would like to spend a very nice evening with my wife." He leaned in and gently kissed her neck and squeezed her hip. "Maybe..." He trailed his lips to her jawline. "A very..." Kisses under her chin. "Very..." Nibbled her ear, eliciting a gasp. "Long night." He pushed away from her. "But after we put you in something a little less tempting for the eyes of others."

She pouted. "Tease!"

He chuckled, holding out his hand. "Jean De Arc?"

She squealed, then groaned. "Do we have to act like siblings?"

"Only where they can see us... Come on or we won't make it." He told her, pulling her from the room and pocketing the key-card.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

"You don't say... They haven't checked into their room, yet? You're absolutely sure...Well, okay. Let me know when you find anything out." Lory hung up puzzled. _Well, this certainly puts a kink in things._

"Something wrong, Darling?" Ten asked sweetly.

"Kuon and Setsu haven't checked into their room yet." He told her a little confused and upset that his plans for the pair were being derailed.

She waved off his answer. "Oh, I'm sure everything will be fine. They're probably out for dinner or shopping. You know how those two are." She told him casually. _Hopefully he won't figure out that I switched the rooms on him._ She giggled inwardly.

* * *

 _She's in danger. If I don't do something... they'll hurt her. Can't leave any of them standing... Protect Setsu... MINE... Don't touch her!_ In his mind was a sharp focus on the men around them. Take one down, the rest will run. _They're cowards..._

"Ahhh!" He turned to find the scraggly-haired male standing over her, with a baton in hand. He honestly didn't know the extent of her training, he hadn't been in Karuizawa when she laid Fuwa out on his ass. Kuon narrowed his focus from the shivering coward before him, to the brute stupid enough to lay a hand on his wife.

 _Don't you touch my wife!_ _If she has a single scratch, you're going to die!_ He flipped his current toy away from him, and like a protective phantom, he was on the new threat almost instantly.

It had all happened so fast she honestly was too stunned. _What the bloody hell?! Bollocks, I can't let this happen. If he gets nicked, the police with toss him in the clink! What the bloody hell do I do?!_ She thought, watching in horror. _What is he doing? That bloke is already down! No, no, no!_ _Can't let this happen! He's going to get hurt or kill him! **"BROTHER! DON'T KILL HIM!"**_ She yelled with eyes closed tightly.

Silence.

Her voice echoed in his mind, mixed with those unforgettable, hate filled words of Tina. "Brother?"

He flinched a little in surprise at the feel of her gentle touch on his shoulder. _"Who am I?"_ The question was more for himself than her. _I... I can't let her see that part of me. What have I done?..._ "Who am I?" _I'm Cain Heel, not that monster... that murderer._ "Just now, there was a black devil inside of me."

She nodded, and seemed so relaxed considering the situation. "Yes... He had complete control of you."

"Does... Does he still have control of me, _Suki_?" He asked quietly.

She paused briefly, and grinned mischievously. "No... Cain Heel, You're my beloved, scatterbrained brother, after all." She giggled.

"Ugh..." _Seriously? How could she be so relaxed about all of this?!_

" _ **You do realize you aren't filming yet, don't you?"**_ She sighed inwardly in relief as she grabbed his hand. _**"Come Love, before this tosser sorts himself and cocks everything up."**_ She told him, pulling him away from the alley, and back towards the fountain, where he grabbed their bags.

He turned to her before grabbing the bags, giving her a soft serious look. _**"Thank you, Suki... You saved me."**_

She could safely say that the entire conversation had worried her. Not that she believed for a moment that he'd hurt her, but she was worried that someone would hurt him. That one day someone would use something far more dangerous in a fight against him and she would lose him. She honestly didn't know what to do. As much as it worried her, was there really nothing she could do? She decided to quietly observe, and hopefully see an opening at some point, where she would be of help to him... As his wife, _**not**_ a pretend sister.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" She whispered to him in the dark of their hotel room, wrapped comfortably in his arms.

He nodded softly. "I am now that you're next to me." He hummed to her as he nuzzled her hair, and kissed her temple. "Thank you, Setsu."

She snuggled into him. "I really didn't do anything, Kuon. In fact, it seems as if I was the one that caused the trouble." She lamented quietly.

He chuckled softly. "They would have tried something regardless. You did the right thing, Love." He told her, breathing in her wonderfully calming scent, and giving her little kisses on her neck. Between the two, it was a more calming atmosphere, not the sexually charged that it had been before they'd left to go shopping. They would wait another day, and just enjoy the quiet cuddling they were enjoying in the moments before sleep.


	47. Chapter 47

_**Chapter 47**_

* * *

The next morning had been quite the pleasant wake-up. He was still asleep, but just to awaken next to him, had soothed the nightmares and fears that both had suffered from for so long. For her, it quelled the stifling feeling of loneliness that had plagued her, that not even Danny had been able to subdue. Kuon actually made her feel fully loved. At no point since they'd started their lives together, did she feel neglected or swept aside for something _"more important"_. For Kuon, it had eased his nightmares that he had from that night that Rick had died. He had awakened once during the night, but the moment he'd felt her warm body in his arms, smelled her scent, and heard her soft breathing, he calmed instantly and drifted back to sleep shortly after pulling her closer to him.

His eyes fluttered open just shortly after she began to stir, and he smiled softly. "Good morning."

"Mmm, morning." She purred sleepily. It was still far too early for either of their tastes. The sun hadn't even risen yet. Well, maybe not the sun, but there were other things that had, and it was actually pressing into her lower hip, delightfully enough, and then came their first ever "good morning" kiss. There was actually nothing near innocent about it. It was filled with all of the love, lust, and pent up need they'd been suffering from the very first moments they'd realized that they loved each other. Strong hands gently glided over heated skin. Well manicured fingernails lightly scraped over taught back muscle sending shivers of pleasure shooting from head to toes. Lips massaged and tongues tangled erotically. A lithe feminine leg wrapped a masculine leg and a small delicate foot caressed up and down.

"Kuon..." She breathed out, turning a gentle ember into a roaring bonfire.

"I want you so much." He growled sexily into her ear as his lips trailed from her ears, to her neck, down her shoulders to her barely covered breasts and gently grinding into her, letting her feel the full force of his desire.

Her back arched and her head pressed back more firmly into the pillow. "Ah..." She moaned softly.

His lips trailed down her black silk-clad torso to low on her belly, and made a trail across her waist, near his target. He gently slid her camisole up and over her head, leaving her bare-breasted and fully aroused. Her perfectly sized peaks were crested with soft, yet firm little inviting pebbles that fit perfectly between his lips, and in his mouth. The taste of her skin was like ambrosia and her scent was driving him insane.

He observed with a small smirk, as his hand gently caressed from her foot, to her calf, then her thigh, and met with her almost drippingly damp panties. His fingers rubbed slowly and firmly on them, feeling the swollen petals, and engorged little bud beneath the shimmering black cloth. He felt her shiver, heard her gasp and moan, and watched as she tensed in pleasure. Just watching her reaction was bringing him entirely too close to the brink. He leaned down and gently scraped his teeth against the sensitive little covered bundle of pleasure, eliciting a very vocal response from her. A strong sense of male pride surged through him, created from the knowledge that he was the one that had made her practically scream. It was fulfilling. She hadn't been able to let go last time she was putty in his hands. She'd had to restrain herself because of their unfortunately public location. Not so much this time.

He slid the tiny silk garment from her legs and positioned himself, kissing and caressing his way back up her body. He nibbled on her sensitive neck, listening to her quietly beg for satisfaction, then slowly and teasingly entered, finding her a tight fit as her sharp nails clawed his back and shoulders. It was oddly satisfying to watch her as her body stretched to accommodate him. He smirked inwardly in the knowledge that even though she wasn't a virgin, she had to adjust for him and she fit like a well tailored, very tight glove.

The way he fit, the attention he passionately showered her with, and the feel of him rubbing that sensitive little button as their hips met in an ancient rhythm, was mindlessly pulling erotic mewls from her lips when they weren't firmly on his mouth or body. He was quickly coiling that deliciously familiar spring within her and she knew she was very close to the final explosion. How could any man be so talented at winding her up so quickly and sending her over the edge? Then there was the explosion. It was a smaller one, but one nevertheless. Now she felt another beginning. How was this even possible? It was almost pure, delightful torture. Being forced to endure so much pleasure so closely together. It started as a small tingling itch, slowly built itself into a burning passion and was now waiting to explode into a nuclear blast.

She finally fell over that final edge, screaming in pleasure, pulsing strongly around him, panting and pulling him into the strongest release he'd ever experienced. Sweaty and exhausted from their morning exercise, they both drifted back to sleep, snuggled together, naked under the thick blankets, and awaited the annoyingly sharp blare of the alarm they'd set to warn of the beginning of their day.

* * *

Honestly, after the morning activities he'd finally been able to spend with his wife, he couldn't have been the wound up, tense, sexually frustrated man that Yukihito and Lory had genuinely expected even if he'd tried. It would seem that Ten-san knew though. Judging from her reaction and the generally confused stares of his friend and his godfather, she may have had something to do with that little hotel suite mix-up that Lory had mentioned. Not that he was going to complain, but he would soon be putting his foot down at the restrictions that Lory believed he was forcing on the pair. Nope, it definitely was NOT going to stay that way. Kuon had spent time in paradise, and he was not going to have it ripped from his grasp. He was going to hold tightly like a dying man to a cure.

* * *

 _Honestly, Kijima should really learn to keep his trap shut._ Kuon groused inwardly. He could hardly wait until everyone on the planet was fully aware of their marital status. He was sick to death of listening to single men go on and on about Kyoko-chan/Setsuka-chan. It just wasn't fair.

When she came to visit him, she was a heavenly vision. After the morning they had, he was hyper-aware of everything around them, and he certainly was not about to allow anyone that was interested in her see this form of her anywhere, but on film. When he'd heard Kijima slither from his seat to see her, he whisked her away like a phantom, to a quiet little spot away from prying eyes and ears.

He was almost disappointed when she told him she wasn't going to give him a charm, but when she told him she knew he wouldn't do anything to put himself in danger and didn't need it, a comfortable warmth came from her confidence in his skills.

He pulled her into his arms and held tightly. "Thank you... You look very beautiful today." He nuzzled her hair and she giggled.

"Thank you. I'll see you after work?" She asked a little heady and excited that they would be returning to their hotel room that evening.

He kissed her soundly. At that moment he honestly didn't care if anyone saw them at all. He just needed to feel the sweet softness of her lips to calm him for the task ahead. "Of course..." He took her hand and began to lead her. "You're filming over there?" He nodded in the direction of the location set for Box R.

She nodded, pulled him to her by his neck and kissed his cheek. "Just in case." She smirked and practically skipped off.

If one were to ask him, he probably couldn't tell how he got back to the set. Everything was a blur until he sat in the driver's seat of the stunt car, then his mind came into full focus. Unfortunately, unexpected things are always a possibility when spectators are involved with location sets. Clueless children, irresponsible parents, or a whole host of other problems. Fortunately, Kuon was at the top of his game and avoided tragedy; however, it hit just a little too close to home in reminding him of Rick's death, and only Setsuka's voice was able to pull him from that bloody void, once again. His wife was definitely his angel and a perfect charm.


	48. Chapter 48

_**Chapter 48**_

* * *

If one were to ask her, she would have freely admitted enjoying her time spent with Kuon playing the part as Suki Heel. It was quite challenging. Certainly she didn't need to restrict her behavior in public or behave completely opposite how she and Kuon were raised to protect their reputations. She hated that she couldn't normally just kiss him in public or hold his hand, without some stupid gossip rag raging on about her being a completely shameless slut, even if they were married. _What the bloody hell is wrong with a complete society that doesn't have a problem with almost total nudity on the telly, but has a problem with a little kiss on the cheek on the corner?_ Well, it really didn't matter at the moment, because they were completely thought of as foreigners, and their affectionate behavior was being written off as something only slightly off the course of being acceptable.

She kind of knew what Papa was up to, by having them portray a borderline incestuous pair of siblings, and have them dressed the way they were. The point was to embarrass, and scandalize others so much, they wouldn't dare say a word to anyone about it. The plan seemed almost genius. Well, it would have been genius, had it not been for that tosser Taira Murasame that kept staring at her ass all through the read-through. He was irritating her and thoroughly pissing off Kuon. Thankfully, she was able to distract Kuon by blowing in his ear, and brushing her lips against his earlobe while pretending to be his interpreter. It had been a good idea at the time; although, once they were alone in his newly assigned dressing room/lounge, he made sure to let her know just how much of a distraction she actually was by lifting her, and pinning her to the wall after locking the door, and practically devouring her.

" _ **Kuon..."**_ She whispered breathlessly. _**"We can't do this here, Love."**_ She purred.

He chuckled, and nipped at her ear, then licked it, sending shivers of lust down her spine. _**"Really? Then how do you plan on making up for getting me so worked up that I missed more than half of what Director Konoe was saying?"**_ He grinned and nibbled down her neck to the swell of her breasts.

" _ **Tonight..."**_ She breathed out.

" _ **Uh-uh... I need you right now."**_ He whispered sexily as his free hand caressed up her thigh that was resting on his hip, and his fingers grasped her butt cheek under her tiny leather shorts.

She let out a small, quiet moan and knew for a fact she would need a fresh set of knickers if he didn't stop. Oh how she'd wished that she could shed the restrictive clothing of Suki Heel at that moment. _Perhaps a short skirt in the near future would be much more convenient_.

 _ **KNOCK... KNOCK... KNOCK...**_

Kuon quietly groaned a little, and slowly set her back on her feet. She whimpered at the interruption. The collective thought was that it was going to be a very long day.

" _ **WHAT?"**_ Kuon growled out in English at the interruption.

Setsuka giggled. _**"Japanese, Love."**_

She straightened her clothing, and wiped the smudge of lipstick from his chin, and lips, then nodded in approval. She blew him a little kiss and turned to the door. He nodded that he was ready, and she opened the door to Director Konoe. "Was there something you needed Kantoku Konoe?"

"Ah... Yes." He stepped in. "I just wanted to discuss film scheduling, photo-shoot times, costume fittings, and travel arrangements for later."

Kuon looked up at his little wife and nodded.

"Then I'll just step out for a moment to get some refreshments. I think I saw a vending machine down the hall when we came in." She smiled sexily at Kuon. "I won't be long Nii-san." She lilted.

He nodded and watched as she left.

Honestly, she never expected a particularly bothersome fly to be buzzing so closely, so soon. Well, it's not really like something like that had never happened before. It was just that it seemed like he'd come looking for her and Kuon almost immediately after they'd left the small meeting. Didn't he have anything better to do? Didn't he have the same things to do that Kuon did? Bothersome...

"I don't think I've ever heard of Cain Heel before." He announced a little more arrogantly that she liked. She decided to completely ignore him. "Of course, it's not so surprising. I mean if he weren't some small time, no-name actor, I would have certainly heard of him or are you two just using the surname Heel to make others think you're someone you aren't?"

 _Oh hell no... He did not just say that shit..._ _**"Look ya gobby wanker... My Nii-san doesn't need to use anythin' to bring attention to 'imself."**_ She pressed the bottle of water she'd held, more firmly into his face. _**"So fuckin' sod off before I ruin ya face, ya stupid git."**_

Murasame was completely befuddled. The only thing he understood from that extremely thick British accent had been the word _"Nii-san"_. "H-He's your brother?"

It was like a bucket of ice on her temper, and she regained her control. _Siblings don't do what we do in our spare time, you tosser._ She giggled at the thoughts and blushed, then walked away, confusing the hell out of the young idiot.

Frighteningly for Taira Murasame, the only thing that Kuon had witnessed was Setsu removing the bottle pressed to Murasame's face, her very intense blush, and how she'd walked away. He was pissed, and the asshole was still following her down that hall. _**"Suki..."**_ He held out his hand and he pulled her to him. _**"What took so long."**_

She nodded to Kuon. _**"This tosser kept me while I was getting our drinks."**_ She purred quietly, and pouted.

Kuon glanced up at the now worried male, wrapped his arm around Setsu, and glared. "Come near her again, and I'll rip your fucking arms off." The _"and beat you with them",_ was clearly implied.

Needless to say, Taira Murasame was questioning the logic of pissing this man off to _check his temperature_. It was bad enough he made him feel like his insides had dropped to the floor with only his words, he added a chilling glare as he entered the lounge with his sister, to get his point across.

 _Message received._ Thought Murasame with a shiver. The fact that Cain spoke to him in Japanese was not lost on him either.

The next instance of "checking Cain's temperature" had been around their meal break; however, Murasame really didn't expect to find what he'd witnessed. It wasn't really as bad as what was running through his temporarily frozen mind, as he stood in the doorway of their lounge, after entering without knocking or sending them a little warning that he was going to enter. What he had seen was only Setsuka sitting on Kuon's lap, teasing him with food. It was much like something that one would expect a wife to do to her husband. Maybe hand feeding him, mouth feeding him ending it in a little kiss, and giggling when he'd nip her lips or chin, lick her cheek or the tip of her nose. Lory, and Yashiro would have gone into overload over it, Murasame did not. The idiot blocked it out of his mind, much like someone blocks traumatic experiences, and continued on his mission to piss off Cain, as per Director Konoe's instruction, only to scurry off when Cain accepted his challenge and raised the stakes. He certain didn't expect Cain to call his bluff.


	49. Chapter 49

_**Chapter 49**_

* * *

She stared at the email in shock. It wasn't bad enough that Maria and Ten were conspiring against her in regards to her birth control, now she'd just received an email from her OB/GYN, marked urgent, telling her to bring in her pills and have them switched to a different brand, because the company had recalled them for a packaging error. Apparently there was an entire lot of them that had been nothing but the placebo's. What made things infinitely worse was the fact that she'd been tricked for almost an entire month with the little candies by Maria and Ten, and now they were telling her this. This... meaning that she'd been off the pill for almost two, full months. She and Kuon had been fooling around with no protection... _**at all**_.

She was in full panic mode as she read the email, but she had to keep it under control. Something like this was very big, very life changing, she wasn't sure _**if**_ she was ready for it or she would _**ever**_ be ready for it, not to mention the fact that she and Kuon really hadn't discussed anything like this before. They were both literally still in their _"honeymoon phase"_.

She quietly pocketed her phone, and took in a deep cleansing breath as she watched Kuon and Murasame rehearse some of the fight scenes. Concentrating on Kuon, helped calm her more than she'd thought it would. Although, he seemed to be enjoying himself a bit too much. _I can do this._ She thought. _Not everyone gets in the club right off. I just need to stay calm and see the doctor._

"Well? How did I do?" He asked as she handed him a cold bottle of water.

He was always able to calm her. She smiled sexily and sighed. "You were perfect, Nii-san. Absolutely terrifying. You did look like you were enjoying yourself out there."

He furrowed his brow a bit in confusion. "Why do you say?"

"Your smile said it all. I can hardly wait until filming actually begins." She told him, not noticing that he'd frozen a bit at her statement. He honestly didn't realize that he'd been smiling as he had been going after Murasame. It was something he didn't want to let loose _**that**_ much.

* * *

Everything seemed safe enough. He'd dozed off before her and he seemed calm enough to leave alone for a few minutes, the time it would take for her to get a few things for breakfast in the morning, and that little test that would ease her mind after that very disturbing email.

Everything had been just so distracting, and hectic these past couple of weeks. They'd finally wrapped up Dark Moon, had the ending party which resulted in Kijima-san following her around like a lost dog the entire time and had Kuon on edge, then there was the not so small discussion with Papa about how she was now a married woman and would not allow him to stand between her and Kuon. He took it surprisingly well. Then there had been the multiple encounters with _"cheese for brains_ ", and now Kuon had been having nightmares. She wasn't sure if the nightmares were more frequent or if they were more scarce as he had told her.

The moment she'd stepped off the elevator, she knew there was a bigger problem than what he'd been letting on. He had actually been waiting for her in the hallway, wrapped in a blanket. He looked so lost and frightened that it made her heart leap into her throat. He looked as broken and alone as she sometimes felt.

"What are you doing out here? Is everything okay?" She asked, worried about his look and behavior.

"Where have you been?" He told her with a look that was tearing at her heart.

"I had to get some things for tomorrow." She explained.

"Don't go out alone so late. It's not safe."

"It really wasn't that far..."

"Don't _**ever**_ go out alone."

"I'm sorry."

He sighed. "No... It's okay. You're here now." He felt even worse for using that tone with her, but he'd just been so worried when he awakened and she wasn't there.

In the end, she hadn't even been able to store what she'd purchase and everything was sitting on the counter, still in the grocery bags the next morning. Not only did she have the contents of said bags eating away at her tired mind, she had Kuon's state worrying her, and the email she'd read. No, she most certainly didn't get any sleep at all that night. She couldn't have even if at least one of her problems abated during the night. Well, at least she didn't have to deal with her voyeuristic godfather at the moment. She hoped that putting her foot down had fixed that.

* * *

Not only did she have the pregnancy thing on her mind, she also had the state she'd found him in last night, that kept her awake. She could safely say, she'd never been so exhausted in her entire life, but she couldn't force herself to get a wink of sleep. She didn't want to worry him with her own problems, so she would wait until later to take that little test she'd left on the bathroom sink. She groaned at the realization. _Bollocks, I left it there in plain sight._ She looked at her watch, and her eyes went wide. _W-What? How long have I been here? D-Did I fall asleep or something?_ She'd been there for three hours without realizing it. She groaned a little, and gathered her things. _I think I did._

 _What the bloody hell is going on?_ The halls were deserted and she could hear a ruckus behind the large doors of the studio where they were to be filming. Crew with busted lips, bloodied noses, a few bruises, and groans of pain. Female staff cowering in fear, staring up in shock, and gasping. Setsuka followed the line of sight, and let out a gasp when she saw her new husband struggling with Murasame on the edge of some scaffolding. A scream escaped her lips when she saw Murasame grab Kuon's arm, destabilize them both, and they both came tumbling down from the great height.

She watched in awe and terror, as her man twisted and turned, then flung the struggling ass away from him onto the waiting safety mat they had barely been able to pull out and hold tightly to. She calmed herself. She didn't care if Murasame was okay, or not. It was Kuon she was worried about, but she knew she couldn't break down and fling herself at him like she wanted to. With a calm, and strength she didn't know she possessed, she finally stood before him, seemingly calm and relaxed with her hip cocked and a hand rested on her side. "Are you okay?"

Shame, that's all he could feel at the moment. After what he'd seen in the bathroom this morning, he couldn't help, but feel that losing his temper with Murasame was the last thing that he wanted her to witness. If she was pregnant, what kind of man was she being saddled with? She didn't deserve all of his baggage along with the added stress of being pregnant. _What the hell am I doing?_

"Oh..." She knelt before him and uncovered his face, and met him with a sexy smile. "Nice... It looks cool."

Her calm demeanor shocked him. _W-What?_

"The special makeup." She giggled. "I really didn't expect it to be so realistic." She pulled out her phone and began snapping photos. "I think I'll use it for my phone's background."

Instantly his mind had been pulled from the dismal thoughts swirling around, and he focused on her. _God I'm lucky to have her._ He sighed inwardly. _I need to pull myself together... For her._

She never pressed him for an answer. It was like she already knew. She'd even guessed correctly when she'd said Murasame provoked him, but he didn't see that as a valid excuse for his reaction. She saved him again. Kept him from doing something that he would regret the rest of his life. She was perfect in that way.


	50. Chapter 50

_**Chapter 50**_

* * *

She hoped that she'd explained her view on the incident to Director Konoe properly. From what she'd been able to glean from the remainder of their day, it had truly been Murasame not knowing how to keep his bloody mouth shut and just wanting to provoke Kuon. She honestly believed that her reaction would have been to him as it had been to Fuwa in Karuizawa, in that position. He would have ended up flat on his back, quite possibly with a few injuries. Kuon had actually shown a bit more restraint than she would have in such a situation.

When she opened the bathroom door, the first thing to catch her eye was the wet floor and bubbles. The second thing had been the ominous little box sitting on the sink counter. _Well, the cat's out of the bag. I hope he doesn't hate me for being so careless._ She sighed. _Nothing I can do about it now._ "Nii-san." She used the role in order to let him know that at the moment they weren't alone.

Kuon looked up at her a little surprised when she opened the shower curtain and smiled.

"Are you playing in there?" He really did look so cute. She just couldn't help but giggle.

He looked up at his lovely wife. "Ah... Sorry, did I take too long?"

She smiled softly. "You have been in there for almost an hour."

"Wow, that long, huh... I guess I should get out then." He told her, standing, giving her a view that made her skin flush and mouth water.

She groaned a little inwardly. How was she supposed to keep her hands off if he was going to do that? "The director stopped by... He wants to talk about what happened."

He glanced at her and nodded. "Okay. I'll be out soon."

* * *

Altogether, the little impromptu meeting wasn't so bad; however, just a tad uncomfortable when director Konoe's focus finally settled on Setsuka. He didn't realize that she was the actress that portrayed Mio, and Natsu. They even had to point out that she was Setsuka Heel. When it came to other aspects of the entertainment world and the world of fashion, he pretty much kept his interests to the acting industry. He had only then put everything into perspective.

Kuon turned to her after the director left, and stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry, Babe..."

She reached up and caressed his face and neck. "Kuon... It's okay..."

He shook his head. "No, it's not. I shouldn't worry you like that." He looked down at the floor. "You have other things to worry about. Don't you?"

She froze a little, looked up, and gave him a small smile, then sighed a little defeatedly. "I got an email from the doctor." She pulled out her phone to show him. "I was a little worried. Maria and Ten switched them out last month... so..." She explained quietly.

"Setsu... You know I'll take care of you. If something like that did happen, it wouldn't be a bad thing." He pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple.

She nodded. "I just wanted to make sure... find out quickly to ease my mind."

"So... Do we have time to find out or, did you want to wait until morning?" Even if something like that would dramatically change both of their circumstances and lives in an instant, he really didn't see it as something bad; however, as far as her health and goals, it would be something that concerned him. He didn't want for her to have to go through something like that just yet. She may be his wife, but he was still worried about the stress something like that would put on her body. He wasn't unaware of things like that, he'd known girls when he was a teen that got pregnant young, and he'd seen the results. If they were going to have children, he wanted her to be happy with the idea of it, not terrified.

She looked up at him. "It only takes 10 minutes. I suppose it would be best to get it out of the way, instead of worrying about it all night. I'd meant to do it this morning, but I completely forgot."

"That was my fault." He whispered feeling like he'd been messing up a lot of things lately.

She shook her head. "No, I had the chance this morning, but forgot and left it on the counter this morning anyway."

He nodded, but he still felt responsible for the way they had to rush this morning after sleeping in a little, then everything that had happened at the studio. Their day wasn't exactly the most laid back or relaxing. He wanted to make it up to her. He rubbed her back gently. "You go do that, and I'll make us some of your herbal tea to relax so we can go to sleep easier."

She nodded. "Okay..." She smirked a little. "But I'm not going to guarantee that I'll be able to do anything like that quickly, knowing that I need to." She giggled. She'd never really had to pee on demand before.

Fifteen minutes later she would step out of the bathroom, ready for bed, and set the timer on her phone. She looked up at him as he handed her a mug of steamy chamomile tea with honey and lemon. "Ten more minutes or so."

It had been the most anxiety filled ten minutes of both of their lives. If it was positive, he would accept it happily, yet apprehensively. He believed that neither of them were ready quite yet, but who really was ever ready for babies? She could feel her heart beating in her throat. She definitely was not ready for something like having children just yet. They both had their careers to worry about at the moment. They had only just recently consummated their marriage, and she wanted to enjoy their time alone together for a bit longer. Babies would definitely get in the way of that.

 _ **BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...**_

She looked up at him, and sighed. "I suppose it's time."

He nodded and watched as she sat her mug on the table, and walked to the bathroom. She seemed as though she was gone for hours, when it had only been a couple of minutes. He quickly went to the bathroom to find her sitting on the edge of the tub, staring at the packaging and at the little stick. Her look was unreadable. "Setsu?"

Her eyes glittered and she smiled as she looked up at him, and sighed out in relief. "It's negative." She laughed.

He chuckled, and gave her a small smile. "You know, it wouldn't have mattered to me. We have plenty of time though." He sat next to her and hugged her.  
She nodded. "I know... But we also have a few things we both want to do before that though."

"I'll be a little more careful." He reassured her.

She shook her head. "I plan on getting a more reliable type when I go in tomorrow. One that can't be switched out or fail because of a factory labeling error."

"You sure?" He asked in a whisper, with his face buried in her hair.

She nodded, and pouted. "I don't want to use anything that will put a barrier between us." She told him with a blush. If she'd been looking at him when she'd said that, she would have noticed his blush too; however, he did agree with her. He just didn't want to be the one to mention something like that.

That night they would sleep peacefully, cuddling each other, just taking in the comfort and warmth that both needed, due to the horrible day they'd just had. Both decided that their time sleeping apart was at an end. They would be moving in together as soon as they had the opportunity.


	51. Chapter 51

_**Chapter 51**_

* * *

She'd been worried that switching to the latest rod implant would be miserable, but she took the doctor's advice and she chose to abstain for the week it would take for her body to adjust, during the week they had away from the _"siblings"_ , and during the time they'd use for their move-in. It wasn't something that she was about to discuss with Kuon in detail, but she did mention to him that it would be 99% effective, and they wouldn't have the added risk of outsiders planning their future family for them. She did worry a little about the after-effects though. She was fully aware of the problems her mother and father had conceiving her. She had heard of it more than once from Papa Lory, when he was reminding her of exactly how special, or how much of a miracle she was. She and Kuon decided that they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

They had a very busy week during the _"siblings"_ hiatus. They made plans to move in together. He had several photo shoots, and filmings for his two current dramas. Setsuka had several tele-conferences with various designers and photographers, along with the planning for the next Paris Fashion Week in June, which was in three months. Then she had to attend the model selection. She did not look forward to that. They needed at least two female Japanese models, and two males. Kuon would be a given if he was available, and so would Kanae, but she hated that she would have to pick from a pool of people that were actually aware of her. She also didn't want for anyone to believe she was playing favorites. Kuon and Kanae were very good at what they did, it wasn't favoritism at all, but she wasn't sure that's how it would be viewed; although, it wasn't like that really concerned her. She learned a long time ago not to let something like that sway her decisions.

She actually hated these open-ended modeling picks. If someone like Kuon was known to be attending, she would have to weed out the models that weren't serious about the job. She honestly didn't know how she was going to react to the females this time, with him finally being her husband, and she certainly didn't need Papa Lory bringing something like that to her attention. So, he kept it to himself, decided he would have Ruto _"observe"_ , and be there for her just in case.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

"I honestly don't see what you're trying to accomplish here." She commented, handing her charge a bottle of water, as she sat next to him in the crowded room of good-looking, young men. She glanced around and there was one very important factor that her charge was not noticing on his own, most of them were tall, at least 183 cm and over. Her charge was only 180 cm. It wasn't an obvious fact, most of the time, but here with all of these tall young men, it somewhat made her feel like she was sitting with someone much smaller than he actually was.

He leaned back casually in his seat, legs stretched out, and arms folded casually behind his head. He turned and gave her a relaxed smirk. "It's Paris, Aki. It'll give me exposure in that area. It'll get my beautiful face on the European market."

"Mmhmm... Right... The fact that Heel-chan is involved, has nothing to do with it." She nodded, and gave him a skeptical glance.

He really was a horrible actor, especially when he was trying to play innocent. He feigned shock. "Really? I had no idea."

Aki sighed with a bit of frustration. "Sho... You do know that you most likely won't get picked. They only need one male model from this group and you don't meet all of the requirements."

He smirked. "I don't see what you're implying, Shoko-san. I'm better looking than most of these guys here."

"Never mind." _He really doesn't get it._ She groused inwardly at the thought of having to deal with a very childish Sho when they finally tell him he's too short or doesn't have the right body-type. Aki Shoko was well aware of how things worked in the fashion world, seeing that she was a former model. Not to mention the fact that he was competing with at least 34 other males that obviously met the most basic requirements.

The door to the interior office opened and out walked Setsuka's assistant for the duration of the season. "Welcome gentlemen. We'd like to thank you for putting the time aside in your busy schedules to attend today's activities. We will be confirming your heights, weights, and measurements, along with your experience and poise on the runway. Unfortunately we will only need two of you for this season. Your schedules will need to be completely clear for the months of June and July. You will be traveling to Paris, Milan, London, and New York. Two weeks for each location. No exceptions will be made. If there are scheduling conflicts, you will be required to work them out on your own or forfeit the compensation for the entire season. Any questions?" She glanced around the room, then nodded to a young model with his hand raised.

"Will this be for Miss Heel's new men's collection, and will there be prints involved?" He asked. It would definitely get his face out there, and give him the extra funds from the magazine and catalog ads.

"I'm not at liberty to release that information at the moment, but you will be compensated accordingly for anything connected to the season. That would include anything after the events." She told him, and it basically gave him what he wanted to know; although, it confused the heck out of Sho. Aki nodded in approval.

"Now, we will be calling you in, in small groups of five. Numbers 1-5 please follow me." She smiled and beckoned them into the room. Sho would be in the third group.

* * *

Honestly, Aki Shoko wanted to punch her charge in his pretty little face. She'd clearly warned him that there was a really strong possibility that he wouldn't be picked to be one of the male faces for Secrets', Cygne Noir Collection. Now she had him sitting in her office lounge pouting like a 4 year-old that didn't get the toy he wanted.

"What's wrong with him _**this**_ time?" Haruki Asami asked after peering in on their spoiled meal-ticket.

Aki smirked. "He thought Secrets would pick him up for their Summer Shows." She rolled her eyes.

Haruki looked at her in disbelief. "You did tell him that they probably wouldn't hire him, didn't you? They're very picky about their runway models."

Aki sighed as they walked down the hall to the room that contained all of the vending machines, to grab a snack and a coffee. "I told him, but he seems to think that the only thing one needs to be a model, is a pretty face." She rolled her eyes.

Haruki snickered. "What did he do when Heel-chan told him he was too short?"

Aki groaned a little as they entered the room and browsed the goodies. "She wasn't there. I'm not sure, but I think maybe the company has switched hands. He said they mentioned that Hizuri-san would keep him in mind for possible other projects. I think she had other obligations. They did need two female models too."

Haruki popped a few coins into the drink machine and thought about the name. "Hmm, Hizuri... You think they meant Juliena Hizuri?"

Aki shrugged her shoulders. "Could be." She answered, picking up her snack and choosing a drink from another machine.


	52. Chapter 52

_**Chapter 52**_

* * *

He knew he should take what either of the thorns in his side said with a grain of salt, but the fact that Hidehito Kijima was asking for her phone number or any of her personal information kind of got under his skin. _I am married to her._ He kept telling himself. _She isn't interested in Kijima, Reino, or Fuwa._ _I have nothing to worry about._ He kept telling himself that, but insecurity kept him from believing it completely. There was always that itching little doubt that he had, that told him he wasn't good enough for her and that at any moment she would change her mind about him, and she would dump him in a heartbeat.

She, on the other hand, had the fear that he would find someone more to his liking as Reino had done to her. That he would get bored with her and move on. To rid herself of those thoughts, she would work herself into the ground when she wasn't at home on their small break from the Heel Siblings. Honestly, she wanted to punch her godfather for putting them in that particular position as a married couple. She honestly didn't know what he was thinking when he made their characters a pair of siblings, and cousins to Setsuka Heel no less. She groaned a little at that though. _Well at least it fixed the living situation. I'm not sure how much longer we could have gone living apart like that_. Her mind was all over the place when they weren't together. One would think she was pretty confident in her position in his life, but she had made that mistake before and got burned. She wasn't the clingy type of insecure, but there was that little demon on her shoulder that always liked to whisper things in her ear that very much brought back a few bad moments in her life.

* * *

He'd heard that she would be in this particular studio complex today for a commercial she was doing. Mimori had spat that one out with a venom he didn't know she had, due to the fact she'd been passed over for the Summer Season Auditions, and Kanae Kotonami had been picked up personally along with another model of the same build as Kanae. Maybe he could get a few answers from her. Like: Why she didn't pick him, why she wasn't at the men's auditions, and since when was her surname changed to Hizuri? He had figured out that much on his own. Truly he was a bit clueless, and self-absorbed. He and Poochie were just two peas in a pod, if one really thought about it. She was made to over-inflate his ego and allow him to use her relentlessly, and he was made to manipulate her and actually have it work without her being offended by it and placing the blame solely on him where it belonged.

As he suspected. She was going by her stage name, Kyoko. He hated that name for a girl. Every time he'd heard it, it brought back memories of the little girl that he knew as a kid. That girl's disappearance and subsequent death had caused him nothing but problems when he was younger, not to mention the fact that she'd basically took his parent's attentions away from him when she was alive, because her mother had to ditch her at the ryokan. He shook the thoughts from his mind. He had bigger fish to fry at the moment instead of thinking about something he had no control over.

 _Ah..._ He looked at the dressing room door. _I guess this is where she's supposed to be._ _Well, time to turn on the charm and use my magic to get her to include me in the Summer Show._ Not once did it ever cross his mind that what he was doing, was basically stalking her or the way she'd essentially rejected him time and again.

He raised his hand to knock on her door. "I hate that you're going to be there for the first two weeks without me there. What if something happens?" He heard a deep rich male voice ask.

"I'll be fine, Love. Papa wants to send Ruto with me, and Mom is going to be there this time too." She told him, caressing his face to calm his worries.

Kuon paled a little. "Shit... You do realize that we didn't tell them we got married..." The eavesdropper stood in shock at the revelation.

Setsu groaned a little at the thought. "She's going to kill us."

Kuon sighed a little and kissed her. "It's okay. I'll wait until you get there for your _**Secrets**_ show, and we'll tell them together."

She nodded in agreement, and Sho Fuwa had unwittingly discovered their secret. He quickly left before he was discovered, thinking of how he could possibly use this new information. He wondered if he could use this to get her to include him in the Paris show. He grinned widely as he snuck back into his dressing room to wait on Shoko.

* * *

It was fortunate for him that he found her entering TBM through the basement garage _alone_. It gave him a very good chance to let her know her little secret wasn't so much a secret anymore, and would give him the opportunity to negotiate a place in the Paris show for himself.

Stealthily he approached, and finally caged her in a corner, not giving her the opportunity to use her arms or legs to beat the crap out of him like last time. She was not going to get the better of him, he was Sho Fuwa and women did NOT kick his ass. "Well, well, well... Setsuka Heel or, is it Hizuri now? You know, I know a lot of people that would find it interesting that you were alone in your dressing room with Tsuruga, spouting off lovey-dovey crap to each other yesterday. Hmm, I wonder what your husband's family would think, especially after all those rumors you had with Reino not too long ago." Not that he actually knew her husband was. All he knew is she carried a very famous name and believed the Hizuri family would be very interested to know she was cheating on their son with Japan's Number One Actor/Playboy.

Her ear twitched in irritation. _Seriously? This ass is trying to blackmail me?_ "Get to your point Fuwa-san. I don't have all day." She said impassively.

He smiled slyly. "Well, all I can say is you give me want and your reputation with the Hizuri family will remain clean. All you have to do is include me in your lineup in Paris."

"Oh... Is that all? You're very easy to please." She purred and he relaxed his position and stepped away from her. _Big mistake_.

She quickly turned her head away and used the pepper spray on her key chain. As he quickly backed away, she kneed him in the groin, and when he doubled over, she then kneed him in the face causing a resounding crunch when her thigh, just above her knee, met with his nose.

" _ **BLOODY WANKER! DON'T YOU EVER COME NEAR ME AGAIN OR YOU'LL DEAL WITH KUON! BUGGER OFF!"**_ She yelled at him over his pain drenched groans, walking away from him and flipping him off without looking back on the pathetic male.

 _Bitch! She will definitely regret doing that!_ He thought, taking deep breaths. _Hizuri and Tsuruga, you are both going down._ He growled internally.


	53. Chapter 53

_**Chapter 53**_

* * *

She stormed into her dressing room, tossed her bag on the counter, and grabbed her mascot costume angrily, not noticing the observant male sitting on the sofa.

" _ **Bad day?"**_ Kuon asked, startling her.

She looked up at him in surprise. _**"K-Kuon? I-I..."**_

He chuckled, and shook his head, taking her by the wrist and pulling her into his lap. _**"It's okay. I kind of figured out you were Bo awhile ago, Babe."**_ He confessed with a light, chaste kiss, stroking her back gently to calm her down. _**"Wanna talk about it?"**_ He murmured into her hair.

She sighed in contentment. He always knew what to do to calm her down. She nodded. _**"Yeah, but when we get home. It's not private enough here."**_

He nodded in understanding. "Okay..."

She gave him a hug and a quick little peck on the cheek. "I need to get ready." She told him, rising from her position.

He gave her a cute puppy dog pout, as his hands slid from her waist, down her butt, to her thighs, and back to his side. "Can I wait here?"

She giggled. Yes, he definitely put her in a better mood. She just hoped that what she was going to tell him, wouldn't ruin their evening at home. She nodded to him. "Of course you can." She grinned, pulling off her regular clothes and slipping into her tank-top and bike pants, wiggling her formerly black, silk-clad, toned bottom.

He lightly slapped her butt. "Don't start something you can't finish here, and now Setsu." He growled lustily.

She turned and leaned in, whispering in his ear. "I would very much like to finish this at home, Loverboy..." She nipped his ear and he groaned. "After dinner." She giggled and went to put on her Bo suit.

 ** _~xoxo~_**

Sho really thought he had some juicy gossip that would destroy both his enemies. Setsuka Heel was married into the famous Hizuri family and she was cheating on their son with Ren Tsuruga. It really couldn't get any better. All he needed to do is either find a way to contact her in-laws or better yet, leak it to some sleazy tabloid. He just didn't know which was better at the moment. After the most recent beating that little bitch gave him, he wanted to pick the outlet that did the most damage.

He smirked triumphantly. "Tabloid would definitely be the best." It would not only ruin her marriage, it would destroy her image. Possibly even get her kicked out of Japan by the fans of Tsuruga, and Tsuruga's rep would take a huge hit for having an affair with a foreign, married woman. His clean image would be destroyed. Life couldn't get any better. Too bad he didn't have dirt on Vie Ghoul.

He could hardly wait to tell someone how "The Setsuka Heel/Hizuri" was always seen with Tsuruga out to eat, in his car, walking with him, and that stupid lovesick face Tsuruga always wore around her. It delighted him to know that he'd heard her and this "Kuon" talking about telling his parents that they were married, in her dressing room. He reclined on the leather sofa of Shoko's office, and propped his feet up on the arm, with a smug smile on his face.

* * *

As she buzzed around the kitchen, like a busy little bee, he sat at the counter and watched intently. He could definitely tell something was bothering her, but he'd promised her that he would wait until after dinner to broach the subject. Although, the suspense was practically killing him.

From the time they finally got home, until they sat down for the evening to enjoy each other's company, in the living room, her mind had been a tempest of emotion. That arrogant pest was being a problem once again, and she had no idea how to remedy the situation. If he went to the tabloids about what he had, they would think that she was cheating on Kuon with himself, and there really wouldn't be anything they could do about it unless Kuon revealed himself or they stayed away from each other while he was Ren.

She honestly didn't care what people thought about her. There had been rumors about her from day one, and she had other things to occupy her time if needed. She did worry about Kuon's reputation. The fans and sponsors in Japan could be quite puritanical when it came to their entertainment idols. Papa seemed to be the only entertainment mogul that didn't restrict the personal lives of his "children". He was definitely the only one that encouraged it and didn't pick their partners for their image.

"Tell me... What's bothering you, Setsu?" He murmured as he gently rubbed her back while she cuddled into his side.

She sighed deeply and grumbled something, and he chuckled. "I really can't hear what you're telling me, if you say it into my shirt."

She looked up at him and pouted cutely. "Someone overheard us in my dressing room yesterday."

He raised an eyebrow. He really didn't see a problem with anyone knowing they were married. "And?"

She groaned. "It was Fuwa. He cornered me in the parking garage, and accused me of cheating on Kuon with Ren. He told me that he wouldn't say anything if I included him in the Paris show."

He furrowed his brow in anger. He was getting seriously sick of this little punk. Who the hell did he think he was doing something like that to her? "Are you okay?"

She nodded, and then grinned mischievously. She giggled. "I pepper sprayed him with your little gift, then kneed him in his twig and berries."

Kuon let out a snort then laughed. "Ouch!... You should let Lory know." She started to say something, and he stopped her. "If it comes down to it, I'll drop the stage name. Not really a big deal, Setsu." He kissed her crown. "We should probably call him tonight." He told her, pulling out his phone and flashing it at her.

She really hated this being heaped on him like this. They still had filming for Tragic Marker coming up, she had filming for BoxR, and then there was the trip to Guam they were looking forward to. Yes, it would be for work, but they wouldn't be working 24/7, and they planned on spending their days off as a little impromptu honeymoon. She did not want the added irritation of Sho Fuwa adding to the stress. There was just too much to do.

Finally, after both speaking to Lory, straightening everything in the apartment before bed, a nice relaxing bath together, they were dressed for bed and resting comfortably. Lory assured them he'd look into it and do everything in his power to take care of their little problem. Honestly, it didn't seem like Fuwa would be easy to take care of. He'd been a thorn in her side since she came to Japan and made the stupid mistake of going on one date with him. He was self-absorbed, thought he was more important than he actually was, and felt that everyone owed him something. She had a hunch that this one would be more difficult than Papa thought. Hopefully he had more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

* * *

This boy was starting to be far more trouble than he'd anticipated. Not getting what he wanted initially, he had the nerve to basically blackmail his beautiful little goddaughter to get what he wanted. Lory was fully aware that people like that existed in the entertainment industry, but he certainly hadn't had to deal with any of them in a long time or when it came to his two favorites. At the moment, since the garage cameras hadn't really picked up the harassment that the boy was casting on his favorite couple's relationship, he honestly really couldn't do much. There were no pictures or film footage, not to mention the fact that just before they married, Setsu had traipsed off to Hawaii for a small vacation. To the public eye, she would be a cheating whore, and Kuon? Well, they just didn't see men the same way they saw women in this society. They could forgive her for the initial error, since they weren't even dating in the fall yet, but now that she was married? That was unforgivable, and there would definitely be some serious fallout from it. Unless... Well, that was only something that Ren/Kuon could fix. Maybe he would find a better solution in the morning, after a good night's rest.


	54. Chapter 54

_**Chapter 54**_

* * *

"What the... ?!" Takenori Sawara gaped at the cover of the tabloid, and spewed his coffee over his desk. Coughing and quickly dabbing up the small puddle that'd accumulated in front of him, he cursed inwardly. Lory was going to certainly be pissed about this. He groused inwardly as his eyes fell on the multiple photos of what could only be misconstrued as a love... square? Boost magazine had sweet little Setsu shacked-up with Reino, Fuwa, Kuon Hizuri, and Ren. Of course he knew that Kuon was Ren now. He'd attended the small wedding ceremony between the two, but this was entirely too much. At no point had she behaved as nothing, but friends with Reino and Fuwa... publicly. Well, Ren was another matter though, sure they had behaved closely, but nothing that would lead people to believe they were lovers. They'd been very careful of that.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Sho grinned maliciously at the cover-page. His connection at Boost certainly worked fast. Well, when you give them something juicy, they definitely run with it. It really helped that they'd been trying to get something on Tsuruga for a long time, and then along comes this little foreign slut. He was almost salivating from the damage that would be done to her reputation. She would be driven out of Japan by the next week if everything went well, and they couldn't trace it back to him with any proof.

* * *

Lory sat looking at the variety of papers that lay on his desk before him, and none of them were flattering to his goddaughter. Sure, he wanted Ren to be a little less boring, and he had gotten that somewhat, but the public was painting his goddaughter to be the whore of the century. Her only mistake had been going on one date with that little weasel. He knew that Sho Fuwa had something to do with all of this, especially after that call from Setsu and Kuon last night; however, they had absolutely no proof. Not only that, the gossip-rags had included him in her male harem line-up, not that it injured his reputation in the least. No, this was painting all of these young men as the victims of some kind of succubus or loose woman that preyed on innocent men for reputation's sake. Claiming that she used her body to further her career in Japan. It was all utterly ridiculous!

"Sir... They've arrived." Ruto announced as he stepped into the now gloomy office.

Lory sighed. He was not looking forward to dropping this particular bomb on the pair. "Show them in." He sighed out grimly.

He watched as the pair entered, completely not knowing what was going on around them outside. Ren was being portrayed as a playboy, and Setsu was being portrayed as a Jezebel of the highest degree. Neither had seen anything in the papers or on the entertainment news yet. The paparazzi hadn't started circling LME like the vultures that they were. At the moment, they were hunting down her male prey. They wanted all of the juicy details before they got to her. They wanted solid evidence of her wrong-doings. She was not going to squirm her way out of this.

* * *

 _What the hell?_ Was the first thought in his mind, as he stood stunned by all of the attention that he and his band were experiencing. From what he could gather, there was something that had to do with Setsu and her new hubby. Apparently he was being lumped into a pile of jilted lovers with that slime Sho Fuwa. How disgusting.

The questions they were asking didn't border on the offensive, they flat-out were offensive. "I was just wondering where you guys are getting your information." He commented to one of the vultures.

"Haven't you been keeping track of what's being said about the woman that used you to get to the top?"

He chuckled. "Seriously? She didn't need me or my name to get where she's at. She already has a name and the talent to back it, no matter what she decides to do. I think you should actually be checking your sources first. Setsuka Heel is not the type of person the cheat on anyone." This was something he knew personally, and he also knew she wouldn't tolerate it. Later in the day, one would find him sending a text, asking a dear friend and contact in Japan if Setsuka was okay and how she was holding up. Of course he didn't contact her directly, he was pretty sure that her hubby wouldn't appreciate his concern.

Back in Japan, another was soaking up the excess attention. Absorbing the pity that he was receiving from the ravenous gossip hounds. His manager couldn't have possibly been more irritated as she watched her charge play the media with his sob story about how he really thought that Setsuka Heel had actually been interested in him, but instead was only interested in his name. He feigned shock and hurt.

Aki Shoko left the building. She knew her charge was rotten, but this was too much.

 **[Find your own ride back... - Hot Manager]**

He just stared at his phone. _What the hell is her problem?_ He wondered as he dialed his hired driver to come pick him up.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Lory smiled brightly. "You two just keep doing what you're doing and that boy will take care of himself." He told them. His sources kept him well informed. This boy was going to tie his own noose if he said anything derogatory. It would all come back at some point and drown him.

Once the paparazzi started digging, they would find that she kept mainly to herself when it came to men, and she'd only dated one other, remaining friends with him. Honestly, Fuwa-san didn't really count in his mind.

"No..." Kuon told him flat-out. "I'm tired of this. Setsu is not that way and I will not let my wife's reputation suffer like this. This will only get worse before it gets better, and I'm sick of hiding our marriage away like it's some dirty secret."

Setsu looked up at him with wide eyes. "Are you sure about this, Kuon?" She whispered in worry.

He looked at her with a soft smile. "Of course I am. I'm hired for my skill, not my relationship status. If my fans aren't happy with my choice, then they aren't my fans." He kissed her forehead.

Lory was practically drooling with moe. "Are you sure you're ready for that?" He'd had a hunch that Kuon had been ready for the revelation for months.

Kuon shrugged. "It's only a stage-name. I really don't think I need to hang onto it with a death-grip."

Once the story was out, many young men and women realized that the pair had a life-long connection. Seeing themselves as a potential love interest just wasn't in the cards. Kuon and Setsu had know each other since they were children, taken family vacations together, spent the holidays together.

Fortunately for the couple, the contact that Fuwa had a Boost Magazine, decided that the young man that had given him the erroneous information was a little more interesting than the couple. Not long after their relationship announcement, as planned by Lory, a full expose was released regarding Sho Fuwa, and the people he'd used to boost himself, and used then tossed aside began crawling out of the woodwork. While Cain and Suki were working on Tragic Marker, Fuwa was self-destructing, without anyone there to set him on the right path. Aki Shoko had abandoned that lost cause the moment he enlisted the aid of tabloids to gain notoriety. There is no way to help someone that dives headlong into filth of that kind, without expecting to get dirty themselves.


	55. Chapter 55

_**A/N: Changed up the hotel scene. Didn't really need it the way it was originally, but still needed that feeling of conflict and resolution of insecurities.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 55**_

* * *

A lot had happened since the Heel Siblings were last on the set of Tragic Marker, and it had only been about a week. There had been the scandal that Fuwa unleashed and his subsequent _minor_ downfall, Reino's rebuttal of said rumors, and Kuon's reveal with their marriage announcement. Then there was the little incident of the constant calls from the unidentified number to Setsu's phone.

He could guess who that call was from, and probably would have been correct. It irritated him to no end that someone would seemingly pursue his wife, knowing that she was a married woman. What irritated him even more was the fact that they had the number in the first place. With each ring of the phone, came the small picking at the scab on his insecurities. He wasn't angry with her, he was more angry and frustrated with himself for even having those thoughts of jealousy and doubt.

He wasn't the only one that felt a little insecure in their situation at the moment. Somehow her phone number was out there, floating around in the ether for just anyone to call her, and they were. She hadn't had the time to change out her number and send the new information to all of her numerous contacts. Kuon had been behaving strangely since the Dark Moon party. She suspected it had to do with Kijima's persistence, and truthfully, she really didn't know what to say that hadn't already been said to calm any of his fears about the situation. Honestly, it was really starting to stress her out and for the first time in awhile, she had come down with a bit of a cold. Nothing that would put her out of commission, but did give a bit of a sore throat and her hearing had been a bit muffled these past few days. A quick trip to the doctor, some antibiotics, and cutting her schedule back a bit had helped immensely. All she had to do now, is calmly enter their hotel room after a long day of filming and photo shoots, and slip into the guise of Suki Heel. It would actually be a welcome break from all of the hubbub that the Fuwa moron had stirred up.

She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and opened the door to the hotel room they shared. After tossing her purse, suitcase, and coat on the bed, she surveyed their room. Something was a little off. Kuon was a very tidy person and here there were beer cans on the floor, with him slouching in a chair and his feet resting on the coffee table. It seemed as though he'd had a rough day too and he was napping. She couldn't help but think he looked so adorable; however, he was sleeping in a bad position and still in his uncomfortable clothing.

"Nii-san, I'm back..." She announced as she began straightening the slight mess in their room.

"Hmm?" He glanced at her sleepily.

She smiled softly. "Don't tell me you fell asleep like that."

"I guess I did." He commented, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and stretching.

"Why didn't you use the bed? It's more comfortable." She asked, picking up a beer can.

"Doesn't matter where I sleep. If you aren't here, I'm not going to be calm enough to get any real sleep." He told her truthfully.

She glanced at him and crinkled the aluminum can a bit. "My poor Nii-san," She purred. "It's because you have such a cute little sister like me that you can't sleep without me."

"Damn right..." He smirked. "Maybe I should lock you in this room and make sure I'm the only one you can feel." Now it was a little of his jealousy speaking.

She felt a small shiver up her spine at the thought. What she wouldn't give for just the two of them hidden away from the world for a few days. "Nice..." She breathed out. "On our next day off, why not go buy a lock?" Then the mood was broken by her stupid phone. She'd forgotten to set it to silent. She'd been expecting a message from Chiori regarding a change in scheduling for BoxR. _Crap, crap, crap! Suki Heel does not get calls from outsiders! Find the phone!_

 _Who the hell is calling her this late?!_ He growled inwardly. _Has she been hiding something from me?_ He groused angrily as he left the chair and swiftly appeared at her side, then smoothly pulled the offending device from her grasp, noticed the unidentified caller, turned it off, and flung it across the room.

"Who was it?" He growled.

She was so completely stunned she honestly didn't know how to answer that.

"What? Don't have anything to say? Kijima? Fuwa? Reino? Anyone else?" It would seem that the caustic rumors of the tabloids were finally getting to him.

She looked at him in shock. Her small fists clenched at each accusation. _How could he even think something like that?_ She thought they were past all of that. What he was saying to her, really hurt. For the first time in a long while, she felt a tear stream down her cheek. He had actually said something that had cut very deeply.

Kuon was stunned out of his anger and jealousy almost instantly at the sight, immediately regretting the words that had slipped from his lips.

Setsuka took in a deep breath, and quietly spoke in a calmed, shaky voice. "It really doesn't matter what I say right now... You won't believe me anyway." Her hands relaxed, and she brushed past him, grabbed her purse and coat. _"I can't believe how stupid I've been. This... This was a bad idea."_ She whispered, pulling on her coat and heading for the door.

A voice deep inside of him told him that if he didn't fix this or say something, it was quite possible he would never be with her again. Her hand on that doorknob sobered him quickly to the precarious situation. As quickly as it had cracked open, it had been slammed shut. With her mind clouded with anger and hurt, he spun her around, and she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms around her waist and his head resting on her belly, with him on his knees before her. "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry, Setsu. Can you ever forgive me?" He murmured, almost begging her. She could feel his remorse as he clung to her. "I let everything get to me... I'm sorry. I don't really think that way about you."

The stone that had been heaped on her heart was slowly dissolving. At the moment she had two choices. She could drop everything, their relationship, everything she had right now and walk away, avoiding any other such instances that would cause that familiar kind of pain or, she could persevere and they could work past these little bumps that would happen in their life... together. "You don't trust me, Kuon." She glanced down at him as she stroked his hair. "How do we get past that?" She asked.

He felt panic surge through him, hoping she wasn't going to make the decision that he felt he deserved. "I trust you! I don't trust them!" He told her, hugging her more tightly. "Please... I'm so sorry."

She slid down and knelt with him, then wrapped her arms around him. She sighed into him. Thinking about it, she knew that she wouldn't be able to leave that familiar, comforting warmth and scent. The more she thought on it, the more she realized that they needed time for each other. Honestly, they really didn't have a honeymoon, nor had they been able to spend much time alone together. Being Suki and Cain wasn't enough. They needed that bonding time away from family, away from the press, away from busy-bodies. "We need time away." She sighed out and he froze, misinterpreting what she'd said. "We never had a vacation or a honeymoon." She glanced up at him, only noticing the look of relief on his face, missing the panicked look completely. "We've barely even dated properly."

He nodded, holding her a little more tightly and melting into her. "Too many nosy people. I hate having to share you with others." He murmured.

She giggled a little. "Too many insects, and rodents." She nuzzled him, referring to Manaka, and any other that was trying to insert themselves into their lives romantically.

He kissed her temple. "I'm sorry I lost myself, Setsu. I won't let it happen again." He vowed.

"I'll have Papa change my number again, and have Joanie take all my business calls. Ruto's been busy with Maria, and I suppose that's what she's there for anyway. I just hate being so hands-off with everything." She pondered out loud.

"You can have Yukihito help with the other stuff... You know, like the modeling shoots and filming jobs." He chuckled a little. "I think he does that anyway. He always seems to know your schedule as well as mine."

She looked up at him in his lap and pouted a little. "And what does that leave for me to do?"

He snuggled her. "Babe, you still have your jobs, and you still have to give the final decisions on things. It would just be less stressful and more organized." He explained.

"What about you?" She asked.

"I'll just lighten my workload. I want to spend more time with you, and working before the sun comes up, and long after it goes down, is just not cutting it." He hummed in thought. "I have a couple of weeks free before we have to be in Guam for filming. Maybe we can work something out in that." He suggested.

She nodded in agreement. "I only have a couple of final scenes for BoxR and some fittings for the show in Paris, but I can take care of that in a couple of days."

"Don't overdo it. We can always figure something else out." He told her.

She shook her head. "It'd be worth it. Besides, what's a couple of days when we'll have almost two weeks after that to relax." She smirked.

He finally chuckled lightly. "Who said we'd be relaxing?" He whispered, then nibbled on her ear.


	56. Chapter 56

_**Chapter 56**_

* * *

She groaned as she noticed the sun peeking in through the drapes, then snuggled back into her husband. They definitely stayed up way too late the prior night, but it was something that needed to be cleared up and repaired. Those feelings of jealousy and mistrust had been seething under the surface for entirely too long for both. She rolled back over and glanced at her, thankfully not broken, smart phone. They were definitely going to be late and she still needed to make breakfast for them and take her antibiotics.

She tapped him on the shoulder and lightly kissed his lips. "Kuon... Time to wake up. We're going to be late."

He snuggled more deeply into his very bare little wife, and lightly nibbled on the swell of her breast. "Mmm, don't care. They can wait for us." He licked the spot, and nibbled a little more.

She giggled and squirmed from his grip. She kissed his cheek. "Save that thought for Guam, lover-boy." She told him, slipping out of their bed and donning the pale-blue, silk robe he'd bought for her on one of their little shopping trips. "Go shower while I make breakfast." She ordered and he groaned in protest. As a pair of unknowns, it was definitely going to be a far less stressful day than their week before had been. She was just hoping that that idiot Murasame had learned from his last encounter with Kuon's temper, and would keep his mouth shut. Well, at least he wasn't an emotional powder-keg anymore. They'd both agreed not to keep everything all bottled-up, and talk about what bothered them before allowing others to influence their thoughts.

* * *

Aki Shoko was irritated beyond belief. The top brass had decided that she should remain the manager of that little sleaze, and she was to do it with an accepting smile if she didn't wish to be permanently drummed out of the business. The only consolation to all of this was the fact that she only had a year left on her own contract before she could move on to bigger and better things. Sho was just a small pothole that she needed to endure.

She figured if she could find a way to bring him back into line, and resurrect his crashing reputation or use it to his advantage, it would definitely make her a managerial goddess. At this point, she didn't even need to bring him back to number one on the list, she just needed to get him back in the public eye favorably, and back on the charts.

Now she had to deal with a sulking, spoiled rotten teen. "Knock it off, Sho. This is all your own fault. Had you just kept to your music, instead of your petty schemes, you wouldn't be in this mess." She lectured to the young man that resembled something out of a supernatural horror flick.

He huffed. "I still don't see why I have to do this stupid apology tour." He groused, sitting on the small sofa of the dressing room the producers of the talk show had assigned him.

Aki rolled her eyes. "It really doesn't matter what you think about it, what matters is what your _**former**_ fans think about it. If you don't do this as soon as possible, you will never recover from the damage that tabloid caused getting back at you. I sincerely hope you've learned your lesson from all of this." She scolded.

He grunted in response. Of course he knew she was right. He should have never trusted that backstabber. It was a hard lesson learned and Aki was right. He just might never again see the top of the charts because of all of his antics. He honestly didn't know how they found out about Minami. At least Pochi kept her mouth shut. He didn't want to think of the damage she could do if her IQ was higher than her cup size.

* * *

He had his suspicions when he watched the pair walk into the studio. There had been a lot of hubbub going on about the latest scandals, rumors, and announcements in the press. He wasn't sure why, but this Cain and Suki Heel seemed to resemble their notable cousin and her recently announced husband very closely, and if that didn't make it glaringly obvious to at least him, the fact that the two were practically covered in love bites, cinched it. If he was correct in his assumptions, he supposed they had a very good reason for their little game of hide and seek with the press. _Well, seeing that he might be Kuu-san's son..._ Although, he couldn't figure out why no one else saw it. He supposed it was because he was actually the only one that had gotten up close and personal with Cain. He shivered at that thought, and not a good shiver. Manaka didn't count. The stupid cow was too blinded by infatuation, and he hoped beyond hope that _Suki Heel_ was as laid back and tolerant as she seemed. He did not want to have to break up a cat fight. Well, maybe a cat laying its claws into a very stupid rodent.

He plopped down in a secluded corner to think things over, after his angry explosion and how they'd just brushed him off. Kuu-san's son couldn't possibly be this guy. Kuon Hizuri was Ren Tsuruga, and there was no way this asshole and his sister were even remotely related. Well, Suki maybe... they did look similar, but their work ethic and general manners were insulting. Always late, bad attitude, impolite. They were obviously foreigners and had no respect for the culture they were working with at the moment. There was no humanly possible way that this Cain Heel was Kuon Hizuri. Manaka needed her head examined for even thinking for a moment to compare this guy to Kuu-san's Kyoshiro. At the end of the day, Taira Murasame decided that there was no way the siblings were in any way related to Setsuka Heel, not when it seemed that they lived to piss him off. They were late... _**AGAIN**_...

 ** _FLASHBACK_**

They had slept in a bit, now they were taking their time getting to the studio via a circuitous route through the shopping district, on foot. Now they were almost three hours late and they were still nowhere near the studio. She was inwardly cringing over the tardiness, but a part of her, the part that always liked a little rebellion, was reveling in the time spent with him even if she knew they needed to be at work.

"Suki..." She turned to him.

 _ **PLUFFMPH...**_

"Umm... What is this?" She asked stroking the furry, unusual bonnet he'd placed on her head. "A dog?"

"Fenrir... A monster wolf." He explained.

She turned to look in the mirror of the shop, and arranged it neatly on her head. "Cool... I've never really been interested in that kind of stuff. Does it look good on me?" She asked, fiddling with the ears.

"Yeah, it does." He smirked at her. "You look really cute."

She smiled back. "Then I need to pick something for you too, Nii-san." She turned and saw the perfect accessory, grabbed the scarf and held it up. "What do you think?"

"It's okay, but how do you use it?" He honestly had no clue.

She giggled, wrapped the three headed dog scarf around him, and began to explain. "See, it's a scarf, hat and gloves all in one. You wear it like this."

The roll of thunder and the crash of lightening pulled them from their little world. She sighed as she pulled out her phone and checked. She looked up at Kuon. "It's Director Konoe."

She noticed his crestfallen look when he nodded that she should answer the phone. She didn't lie. They did wake up a little late. They did have a nice, relaxing breakfast, and they did get sidetracked on the way when they entered the shopping district. She apologized and now they were truly on their way. On their way to start dealing with unreasonable, nosy co-workers that felt that their opinion mattered on people's personal lives. Ugh, she could hardly wait until Guam.

He glanced at her from the side as they walked to the crosswalk, and noticed her irritation. "We have our trip in a couple of weeks. We'll have more time then." He smiled softly and she nodded in agreement, feeling a little better now that he reminded her how close it was.

 _ **END FLASHBACK**_


	57. Chapter 57

_**Chapter 57**_

* * *

The more she thought on it, the more it bothered her. She'd almost blown their cover and spoiled everything. That hickey on his neck wasn't even acceptable if he weren't undercover. Not only was he an actor, he was a model and what she did, was just _**not**_ done. She knew that from how many times she'd scolded her own models for having even less. The mark she'd left on him had been with her teeth and could easily last at least a couple of weeks.

He had a hunch on what was bothering her, and to be honest he couldn't have felt like a bigger jackass even if he'd tried. Had he not behaved the way he did, like a jealous bastard, she wouldn't have felt the need to vigorously show him that she felt just as jealous as he did by giving as good as she'd received along the lines of marking each other. He definitely felt guilty about marking her too. The tiny, jealous voice in the back of his mind had still been insecure enough to encourage him to give her a necklace of love-bites, along with a few strays here and there. Thighs, hips, and breasts to be exact. He supposed one could call them maybe garters and a couple of brooches to go with her new naturally created jewelry. She'd spent almost a full half-hour in the bathroom covering them properly. When asked why, her response was, that at no point in any society was it appropriate to show off marks in those spots, not that she didn't want to.

Yes, when he put more thought into it, after clearing his mind, he was definitely a jealous bastard, especially when he discovered that the mysterious caller had been Director Anna with her altered scheduling for the week, the man had no sense of propriety when it came to things like that. He'd told her he'd thought that she would just let it go to voicemail and catch it the next morning. Kuon would definitely need to make it up to her.

He caressed her arm. She seemed really distressed over it all. "You okay?"

She looked up at him a little out of it. "I... I think I left my favorite outfit in the wash."

He did love how she could cover it with something like that. She was definitely a quick thinker. He smiled softly and pulled her into his arms. "It's okay..." He held her tightly and kissed her temple. "Don't worry... if it's ruined, I'll buy you as many new ones as you wish. So many you'll ask me to take them back, Suki." He mentioned the name to pull her back, like she'd done for him.

She snuggled into him and sighed. "Did I really look that worried?"

He pulled back after hugging her again. "Yeah... You looked like you wanted to disappear."

She smiled up at him, straightening the collar of his shirt. "That sounds nice. Just me and you." She told him, caressing the love-bite on his neck with her thumb.

He pulled her back in for another hug. "Just another couple of weeks." He told her, and she nodded.

* * *

She knew fans could be rather zealous. She'd grown accustomed to the small crowds that tended to gather at LME and at the studios where she recorded or where her photo shoots were held; however, what she did not expect was to be pelted with rocks, raw eggs, fast-food paper drink cups, and was that spoiled food? _**"What the bloody 'ell, ya daft cow?!"**_ She barked out in anger.

Ruto quickly emerged from the shadows to prevent her from pummeling the violent fan of her husband. _**"Setsu, not here. You're better than that."**_ He murmured to the struggling little angry pixie.

"GO BACK TO ENGLAND, WHORE!"

"GIVE US BACK OUR, REN-SAMA!"

"YOU'LL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR KUON-SAMA, SLUT!"

"HIZURI-SAMA'S TOO GOOD FOR SOMETHING LIKE YOU!"

"LEAVE OUR MEN ALONE, GAIJIN!"

The chants, screams, slurs, and insults continued as they walked through the doors and became muffled as they walked down the hall to her dressing room. She flopped gracelessly onto the sofa and sighed deeply. _**"I did not expect so much negativity this morning."**_ She groaned.

"I'll be right outside your door while you change. Will you be okay, Setsu?" Ruto asked with concern.

"Yeah..." She sighed out defeatedly. She pulled out her phone as she watched the door shut, and dialed.

" _ **Hey babe, I'm in-between takes right now, so I can talk a little."**_ He smiled into the phone, he hadn't seen anything that had happened to her yet. It was still a little fresh in the news and hadn't been processed through the media.

She sighed out and smiled softly as soon as she heard his voice. _**"Just wanted to hear your voice."**_

He smiled. _**"You really know how to stroke a guys ego."**_ He chuckled. _**"How's your day so far?"**_

She groaned a little. _**"It's there. I suppose it can only get better from here."**_ She released a wry giggle.

He furrowed his brow. _**"What happened?"**_ He asked with worry tinging his voice.

" _ **Nothing much, just a few rowdy fans."**_ It wasn't exactly a lie. They were rowdy and they were fans. Maybe not her fans, but fans nonetheless.

" _ **You okay?"**_ He sounded ready to drop everything and come to her. Which considering the circumstances would probably be a very bad idea.

She smiled at the thought of him coming to her and shook her head. _**"Ruto came to the rescue. I suspect he's calling Daddy right now."**_ _Probably having Mum bring me a fresh change too._ She pouted at the thought of this particular outfit being beyond salvage.

He let out a sigh of relief. He didn't like the thought of her male fans getting handsy. He knew how intrusive fans could be from personal experience. _**"That's good. Just stick close to him... Ah, gotta go, Babe. The cue for my scenes just came up. I'll see you at home tonight. Love you."**_

" _ **Love you too, Kuon."**_ She blew a kiss into the phone. _**"Be a good boy, and see you tonight."**_ She felt much better after she heard him chuckle before he ended the call.

She felt much better now. Now all she had to do is clean up, and change into her costume for Natsu. Then she could set, who would be her favorite persona for the day, free to reign havoc. Just below the surface Natsu was giggling with a euphoric glee at the prospects.

* * *

Lory was mortified at what unfolded on the television in front of him. It was only a small news blip, but judging from Ruto's call, it had been much worse and more extensive than what this biased entertainment reporter chose to show. They'd actually cut out the rocks, eggs and anything that could be considered truly violent towards his goddaughter. They didn't show the slurs or the threats. To say that they mislead the public on the violence these women were showing would be an understatement. Thankfully he had access to the security footage and he would make certain that the offending women were identified and prosecuted for assault. He was certain that Kuon would want to do more if he saw it.

He was actually hoping that the entirety didn't get shown or Japan could very well lose two very promising stars to somewhere a bit less insane when it came to their objects of affection. Although, perhaps it wouldn't be entirely too bad. Kuon had a few new overseas offers, and Setsu had several different fashion shows and exposés coming up.


	58. Chapter 58

_**Chapter 58**_

* * *

Lory had been able to avoid telling Kuon about anything that had happened at the studio with Setsu for 24 whole hours, and then it all fell apart. Somehow, one of his interviews decided to get his opinion on the treatment of his wife, and showed him, and the audience, on a large screen the entirety of the event. Apparently the initial reporter hadn't been the only one there. The secondary, that had captured everything, was actually a fan of Setsuka's and supported the couple in their decision to be together. The host of his current interview? Not so much. She was hoping that the rumors had been true and that his response would be indifferent. Maybe even catch him telling the world that she was a big girl and could take care of herself.

He was livid for more than one reason. He didn't like being ambushed. He didn't like fangirl hosts that threw themselves at married men, and he sure as shit didn't like anyone telling him that he couldn't be with Setsuka or harming her in any way.

When asked what he thought or what he would do about it, his angered reply was final. They didn't need to know that they would only be leaving Japan temporarily for Tragic Marker or that both had other jobs that would take them overseas. They didn't need to know that they would be spending at least a month in Guam for their honeymoon and filming. So, before he stood to walk out on the brazen hostess, he smiled cordially and told her. "What else does one do when their life choices aren't respected. I've known Setsu almost my entire life. She is my friend, my lover, my guardian angel, and my wife. I want nothing more than to protect her from hateful, scheming, violent creatures such as that, so... We're leaving Japan."

The studio was silent enough to hear a pin drop, and Yashiro seemed as though he would have a stroke on the spot, as he watched from backstage.

"What a-about your dramas? What about her works?" She stammered, trying to keep the audience appeased and the show going.

"We've both finished all of ours." He was really hoping that Setsu didn't rip him a new one when he got home, but he would explain later. He had a hunch that during the time they were gone, his rabid fans would have a change of heart once the true fans turned on them.

* * *

Lory chuckled when he watched the interview. Yukihito was in a frenzy, and was awaiting the moment his contracts, that he had for the coming months, would call and demand an explanation.

Lory shook his head. "It'll be fine Yukihito. It's just a scare tactic, emotional blackmail. Just let them know he's going on his honeymoon. Make sure to ask for their discretion." He instructed.

"And what about Setsuka-chan?" Yashiro asked with a little worry. He'd been keeping her scheduling for the past few months.

Lory shook his head. "Did you forget she has her other works? She has three shows and an exposé coming up. What she does until July is up to her, but I doubt she'll relocate from Japan." He looked up at Yuki from a file he was going through. "She's worked too hard to just leave it all behind. Just tell her contracts the same as Kuon's."

Yuki glanced at him from his planner. "Are you sure about this?"

Lory chuckled and put down the file. "Yukihito, I will make sure they are back in Japan before the end of April. Even if they are in disguise to do so." He assured him.

 _~xoxo~_

"Kuon..." She groused. "Are you really sure that was a wise thing to say? What about our contracts?" She asked, worried about what their future projects would think. Well, she was far more worried about his, than hers. She could afford to jet off to London, Paris, Milan, or New York. Her projects had already accommodated her Fashion World schedule, and unless something looked particularly enticing, she really had nothing to worry about. Kuon however, was an altogether different matter. He had another drama coming up and a couple of feature films. She wasn't sure his producers and directors would be pleased with the type of negative public attention they were receiving at the moment. She knew that Box R was already starting to suffer a bit, or at least she thought it was. It wasn't really. Her involvement was actually making people curious, and there were quite a few people that would watch it out of curiosity, that wouldn't have initially. So, her part in Box R was actually building anticipation for the premier episode, and the not so small fact that she was someone, along with Natsu, that people just loved to hate at the moment.

"Don't worry about it Babe. Everything will cool down while we're in Guam and they'll be begging for both of us to come back. If not? We both have other offers outside to tide us over until they come to their senses." He kissed her temple and rubbed her shoulder as he pulled her closer to him on the sofa.

She sighed out. "I'm more worried about you, than myself."

He chuckled. "We aren't idols here. They'll get over it and accept our decisions." He smirked a little. "Or, we could pay a little visit to LA, if everything hasn't calmed down by the end of the summer." He suggested, with a glance down at her.

Her face lit up. "You wouldn't mind going to visit Mom and Dad?"

"As long as you're with me, I wouldn't mind." He told her frankly.

She sighed out relieved, with a small soft smile. "That sounds nice." She breathed out, and he nodded.

* * *

Lory and Yuki were inundated with offers, and the mail room was swamped with hate and fan mail for both Kuon and Setsuka. Lory actually wasn't really that surprised. He honestly had no worries about their situation, except for the occasional rabid fan or two. Possibly even a mob of them, as it had been a few days ago before Kuon's declaration.

If an outsider were to look in on the situation, they would realize that Kuon's plan was actually working. His truly dedicated fans _**did**_ turn on the rabid ones, quickly. The very biased news host that hadn't shown the entire incident and the hostess that had ambushed Kuon thinking that she could sink her claws into him, were rudely awakened when both Kuon and Setsu's dedicated fans booed them inside and outside of their studios, resulting in their terminations due to the fact that their popularity had dropped dramatically, causing the shows to suffer greatly. A studio void of an audience is a very unhappy studio.

It probably helped that LME closed ranks when anyone was asked about the pair. Most had known Setsuka-chan from when her parents had passed away, and many others respected her for her determination to take over her family's holdings at such a young age, successfully. There was also the little unspoken fact that one just didn't burn the bridge that led to major clothing labels, a modeling agency, and a movie studio. She may only be a shareholder in some, but she was a major shareholder, and if she ever decided that she didn't like someone, **that** someone would not be able to find work. Not that she would actually ever do anything like that. She didn't like Mimori or Sho, but she would never destroy their chances over something so petty. There were plenty of people that she didn't like, that technically worked for her; although, it wasn't like she would ever let them know that if they were so clueless that they didn't pay attention to whom they worked for.


	59. Chapter 59

_**Chapter 59**_

* * *

Almost like Hawaii, but better. She wasn't stressed out during the flight like she'd been on her last little vacation, and she was looking forward to spending the time they needed with each other. Sure a couple of weeks would involve filming for Tragic Marker, but the other two, would be just the two of them as themselves. It would be their first trip alone. No managers or chaperons. No hateful, squealing fans throwing things. Finally, no unwanted stalkers following them around making ridiculous demands like Sho and Mimori had done just before she'd left. The pair had followed her practically everywhere, demanding to know why she didn't pick them for her European shows. She told them the truth. Both were too short and Mimori was disproportionate. A large bustline isn't always a good thing when looking for someone to model on the catwalk. Setsu wanted the focus on the clothing, not the model.

She wondered what Kuon's reaction was going to be when he saw her. She'd decided to go with her natural look for once and it made her a bit nervous. Ten had insisted upon doing her extensions. She knew it wasn't because of her passport photo, that was proven a moot point when she'd cut her hair in Hawaii. She suspected that Ten was just feeling a little nostalgic for her natural look. She didn't have so much of a problem with it anymore, at least not since she and Kuon married. More specifically, since that night that they had their big argument and decided they needed a real honeymoon.

"Did you let him know we were coming early?" Jelly asked her in a mischievous tone.

Setsu shook her head. "I wanted to surprise him. He sounded a little worried last night when he called."

"Can you blame him? What? With everything that happened before he left." She commented absently as her eyes traveled over the parking-lot of the airport. "Ah! There it is!" She announced and grabbed Setsu's arm, dragging her in the direction of their rental.

"Honestly, it wasn't really so bad that he needed to make that announcement." Setsu groused a little.

Jelly glanced at her and pouted a little. "Setsu... They were throwing rocks at you. They ruined your favorite blouse. You had to sneak around like a wanted criminal until you left. I think what he did was very reasonable. I would have done the same thing." She scolded. "Besides, he did the only thing that those kinds of fans understand. If they think for one minute that he'll leave because of the way they behave, they'll stop behaving that way." She smirked a little.

Setsu rolled her eyes a little. "Or take me completely out of the picture." She groused, as they put their luggage in the small van.

"We would never let that happen, Sweetie. You know how overly protective Darling and Kuon are." She scolded.

Setsu giggled, remembering how Lory and Kuon tried to talk her into having several bodyguards. No, not one or two, but at least four with Yukihito as her manager instead of Kuon's. Which she obviously put her foot down on all of that bodyguard nonsense. Ruto was capable enough to handle her and Maria. Unless he told her himself, and suggested that she needed such protection, she was not going to go about her day guarded like the Queen's jewels.

* * *

What he noticed as he strolled down the relatively empty streets, were the little souvenir shops, that he absolutely knew Setsu would go crazy for. He was pretty sure she'd never actually been to Guam. Hawaii, yes; Guam, certainly not. It was somewhat similar, but he suspected far less crowded by tourists this time of year.

What he didn't notice right away, was the two females that had been following him since the last shop he'd stopped at. When he finally did, and they'd worked up the courage to speak to him, he decided that the best way to avoid them was to act like he had no idea what they were saying. He could only hope that they didn't understand a word of Russian, and judging from the looks on their faces, he guessed correctly. It was irritating that they would just walk up to a strange man and ask him out for drinks like that. Did they not see his wedding ring? Didn't they even care that he was married? He suspected not. Well at least Setsu would be there in a couple of days and wouldn't be enjoying the sunny beaches of Guam alone.

* * *

The moment the media release the footage and photos of Kuon leaving, then of Setsuka leaving, one could say that their fans went insane. Their caring fans turned against the rabid, stalker-like fans. The stalker-like fans, mostly Kuon's, were camping out on the sidewalk and street in front of LME, shaving their heads, some attempted to look like Setsuka, others were scantily clad, hoping he would see them and choose them over her, and hoping that he would see their dedication from afar and come home just for them. It was actually somewhat appalling. What made things worse, was the fact that Lory had actually spied a few of the top actresses in that little crowd. He was thanking his lucky stars that they were from other agencies and not LME or he would have had to terminate a few contracts.

He turned to Ruto and shook his head. "I need you to get me a list of the actresses in that mob down there." He was not about to allow them access to Kuon or Setsuka via a filming or modeling job. _"This type of behavior is unacceptable for a celebrity."_ He groused as he scanned the crowd and Ruto left to carry out his request.

It wasn't that he had issues with the actresses having feelings for Kuon or even disliking Setsuka, it was the fact that they were more than willing to throw themselves out there to support the kind of despicable behavior that had driven Kuon to make the declaration, in the interview that he did, before he left for Guam. If they were going to support the violence and behave like animals in heat during mating season, they needed to be brought to heel, reprimanded, and possibly even blacklisted. It was behavior like that, that discouraged a healthy type of love and he was not going to stand by and allow it to happen before his very eyes without saying something about it. He would have done so even if they weren't his godchildren.

* * *

To see him coming from the water like the god Poseidon himself, was actually quite a treat for her. She stood still on the shore watching the water glisten over the carved muscles, hidden beneath his clothing. She giggled once he saw her. He froze. She looked like a mischievous little angel. Ten hadn't bleached her hair yet, and she'd already added the hair extensions for the Heel siblings. It wasn't like anyone would recognize her, the cast and crew wouldn't be there for another two weeks, and they would be staying in a hotel on the other side of the island, where the filming would take place. He could tell that she hadn't expected him to be in that place at the same time as she, from her reaction.

Off came her sandals. Her purse dropped to the sand, and her petite body was instantly found in his wet arms, breast deep in the water. "You're here early." His arms clung to her more tightly, and his lips gently kissed her temple.

"I finished up early. I didn't want to wait." She murmured. "I missed you."

He chuckled. "I missed you too."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Ten did your hair?"

He nodded. "My passport had the old picture, and it would have taken too long to get the new one. Let's get out of the water. You're soaked now."

She giggled. "So are you."

"Did you have any trouble with the room?" He asked as he grabbed his wallet and phone from a little covey he'd hidden them in near the rocks.

She shook her head as she put her sandals back on and picked up her bag. "They were actually kind of nice." She giggled. "They even had someone carry my bags up."

He took her hand. "How about we head back and change? I know a great little bar and grill nearby."

"Oh! Do you think they have coconut juice? I've never tried it before." She asked excitedly.

He chuckled. "If they don't, we'll find somewhere that does, Babe."


	60. Chapter 60

_**Chapter 60**_

* * *

It was so completely relaxing, the thoughts of spending time together without the hassle of people following the pair around with cameras or projectiles. Actually, it was nice not being known at all at the moment. From the age of eleven, she had been a platinum blonde with blue eyes, and from the time he was fifteen, he had been a brunet with brown eyes. They actually hadn't seen each other in their complete natural states since she was ten and he was fourteen. Almost a full seven years. Too long in his, and her opinions, if they didn't count the one European trip they took together last year for Fashion Week in London.

She was breathtaking. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She had arrived early and surprised him at the beach. He rushed from the water, pulled her tightly into his arms, and twirled around his bikini-clad wife while kissing her passionately. "You look amazing. I thought you weren't going to be here until tomorrow." He said breathlessly, with a chuckle.

"I had to get out of there. I had the joy of dealing with two airheads that believe that the only requirements for Fashion Week consist of just having a pretty face, or a disproportionate bustline." She pouted.

Kuon grimaced. "I can imagine." He commented as they waded to the shore. "You want to grab a couple of drinks and relax?" He pointed to the direction of a vendor on the boardwalk a short distance away.

"I was hoping to catch a few waves while we're here." She told him a little shyly.

He smiled. "We can look into it. I haven't been around the entire island yet, but there really aren't many waves near our hotel. It's pretty calm, but we could rent a couple of jet skis." He suggested.

She fidgeted excitedly and smiled brightly. "OH! I haven't been on a jet ski for a long time. Could we?"

He chuckled. "Absolutely Babe." He told her, grabbing his wallet, watch, and phone.

She held open her beach bag. "You're too wet, put them in here." She giggled.

He looked down at the clothes he was wearing, and groaned a little. "I guess I forgot. You mind if we stop at our suite and change?"

"That would probably be more comfortable." She grinned.

* * *

It all started in the elevator. He just couldn't keep his mischievous hands to himself. Then there were those naughty, roaming lips, and that insanely talented tongue, nibbling on her ears, neck, and lips. Fortunately they were going up, so there were no impromptu interruptions on the way to their floor. By the time the door to their suite was opened rather roughly and kicked shut, she was wrapped around him like a very comfortable suit, with her bikini top hanging between them by the string that had caught on one of the buttons on his shirt in an odd way. They both giggled as they watched it fall to the floor by the small dining table.

He flopped her on the bed after her flip-flops had fallen to the floor just before. He smiled lustily, and she knew that the emperor was out to play. She shivered as his hands slid up her bare legs, and stopped at the strings holding the bottom of her bathing suit on. It had been a little more than a week since they'd even seen each other last, and every little touch was doing more than it usually did.

Blankets were shoved to the floor. The flat-sheet was crumpled and hanging from the end of the bed. Wet clothing was strewn about the room from being practically ripped off and thrown in different directions. Moans of pleasure filled the room as they took turns letting the other know exactly how they felt about each other.

It had been just before noon when they had left the beach to change clothes, and now the sun was just setting. They had both forgotten about returning to the beach, having lunch together, and sightseeing. For six hours, they had enjoyed the pleasures of each other and napped. He chuckled when he was awakened to the music of hungry stomachs, his and hers. Setsu rolled over sleepily, and stretched. "You hungry?" He asked a little playfully, laying on his side, facing her and resting his head on his arm.

"Hmm?" She hummed, languidly blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

"It's dinner time. We slept in." He smiled as he caressed her bare back.

Her eyes popped open. "What time is it?"

He leaned to look behind him at the clock. "Hmm, a little after six."

She groaned a little. "We'll never be able to sleep tonight."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't mind that." He leaned back in and kissed her deeply. "However, I do think we should refuel." He pulled her on top of him. "Do you want to go out, or should we do room service?"

"Hmm, I wouldn't mind eating here." She snuggled into him, and smile.

He caressed her back and shoulder, then kissed her crown. He sat up and pulled the menu from the nightstand. "Let's see what looks good." He pulled her back to him and sat back on the pillows, then opened the menu.

"Mmm, the salmon looks really yummy. Oh! And some grilled asparagus." She told him with a bit of excitement.

He chuckled. "It comes with that. Anything else, Babe?" He turned the page to the desserts.

"Tiramisu?" She asked cutely.

"Sounds good. I think I'll try their lamb chops." He picked up the hotel phone, placed their order and added a bottle of their finest Champagne. "That should do it." He hung up and flopped back onto the bed.

She left their bed and began rummaging around in her still-packed luggage. Then slipped on a black silk robe.

"Where ya going?" He asked sitting up.

She giggled, and held up her toiletries bag. "Shower, I feel gross."

He smirked, and sexily narrowed his eyes. "Can I wash your back?"

"What about dinner?"

He chuckled. "They'll leave it in the dining area."

She lowered her robe off her shoulder and wiggled her butt at him. "Well, what are you waiting for, Kuon?" She giggled as he sprung from the bed and scooped her into his arms, carrying her to their large bathroom.

* * *

By the end of the two weeks they had set aside for their honeymoon, nearly every square centimeter of their suite had been christened by their activities, and they had been to nearly every shop, beach, and restaurant on Guam. They were completely relaxed, and comfortable with each other.

The entire cast and crew on the set of Tragic Marker, could feel the difference between the two. They were infinitely closer than before and not a one had a doubt in their minds that the Heel Siblings were lovers. Though, the only individuals that were vocal about it were Murasame and Manaka. Director Konoe obviously didn't have an issue with it, he absolutely knew the circumstances. He knew they were married, and he knew about all of the media and fan harassment they'd had to endure the prior month. As long as it didn't hinder production, he honestly didn't care.


	61. Chapter 61

_**Chapter 61**_

* * *

The Honeymoon was mostly over, and it was now time to work; although, observing the pair, one would think the Honeymoon never ended. They could barely contain themselves until they reached the privacy of their room. After nightly activities, the evening meal would be prepared and served, and Kuon would study his script for the scenes he would have the next day, then a sweet snuggle and usually another romp before sleep took them.

Other than Manaka's annoyance and Murasame's weird behavior, things on set went quite well and they were able to wrap up early with the film. Kuon made the decision that they would spend at least another week on vacation. He had a surprise for her. They would spend that week with Juli and Kuu in California. Setsuka was in tears of joy, she'd not seen them in years except for Kuu's little visit last year. She was vibrating with excitement when Ten came to change their hair back to normal for the trip, and update them about what was happening at home.

When Ten told them about the fans, Kuon laughed it off and was grateful that he decided to extend their vacation; Setsuka was mortified, she'd never heard of fans behaving that insanely. Honestly, she did not want to go back to Japan because of it. So, it was quietly discussed between the pair during their long flight to Juli and Kuu, and the decision to move to California was made. Setsuka didn't have anymore contracts or business that had to be done strictly in Japan, so she would stay with Kuon's parents, and he would go back, finish the few contracts he had that couldn't be transferred, and would be by her side within a month's time.

* * *

During the month that Setsuka and Kuon were apart, two things happened. Firstly, Setsuka had auditioned and won a part in a movie that a certain over-privileged little, wannabe actress had tried to get the part using only her family name. Kimiko Morizumi was so irate and incensed that she had attacked Setsu in front of Kuu, Juli, her own parents and a well known producer that had been friends of the Morizumi family for years.

The media blew up instantly and the incident was plastered all over the internet. Charges were filed and a career was ruined after all had witnessed her violent nature. Not a single director or producer wanted her on their set. Not even her own family. She never made it to the audition being held by her uncle in Japan. Her parents had cut her allowance, fired her manager, sent her to a private all-girls school in England, and black-listed her from the entertainment world. It was the only thing they could think of doing to make up for her shameful behavior and prove to others that they did not approve.

The second incident that occurred had been with Kuon. A week after he had arrived, he was worn down, depressed, lonely, exhausted, and missed Setsu terribly. To cheer him up Yuki scheduled a day off for him and Hidehito Kijima had invited him out to a private bar to relax. Unfortunately a female by the name of Kana Kusunoki had been drinking at the same establishment at the time and decided the Kuon was the most famous there at the time, signaled her paparazzi plant at the bar, and kissed him.

Kuon was clearly upset after the incident and it really didn't matter how much the little snake apologized. Less than an hour later he was on the phone with Setsu, telling her the entire incident in detail. She comforted him and teased him, telling him that it only happened because he was so irresistibly kissable. "I love you, Kuon... and I trust you. I know you would never do something like that to me."

He sighed out, finally relaxed. "I love you too, Setsu. I can't wait until this mess is over and I'm there with you. I miss you."

"I miss you too, but it's only just a couple of weeks more." She reminded him.

They spoke a little while longer, then he went to bed and she left for work.

Two weeks of misery. Two weeks of talk show hosts and the entertainment media, bashing either him for "cheating" on Setsuka or telling him how suitable the "perfect" Kana Nee-san is for him. It sickened him and on the final talk show he was interviewed at, that were more interested in his personal life, than his work promotions, he finally blew up. Before that moment, the only people aware that he was leaving permanently were their closest friends and family. Yuki would be going with him and Kanae would be meeting up with Setsu for a film she was doing later in the year. He dropped the bomb, and it was as if a bomb actually did go off in the studio filled with his fans.

"You see Rikka-san, this is precisely why Setsu and I are moving to California... Permanently. Either she's not good enough for me and how I feel about it doesn't matter... or I'm not good enough for her... or you would prefer that I destroy my very happy marriage by having an affair with a washed up celebrity that prefers to use people and lie about it to stay in the headlines?

The only thing that should concern you, is what you lured me here for... I was told that this interview would be about my most recent work, not my wife, not my personal life, and not my family. If you have no interest in the movies that I'm trying to promote, then I have nothing to say." He stood up, tossed the mic on the sofa, and walked off stage, with the screams and cries of the fans ringing in his ears.

"If it makes you feel any better Kuon, I did warn them that if the interview touched on anything that has been recently mentioned in the media, you would end the interview." Yuki told him as they quickly walked to the parking lot. "I'm really sorry about that."

Kuon shook his head as he pressed the button on his key-fob to unlock the doors to his car. "It's alright. I kind of expected something like this to happen. It's just... I don't know, there comes a point when enough is enough. If they're only going to listen to her and take her word for it, what's the point of even trying? You know?"

Yuki nodded as the got in the car and buckled in. "I'll have a talk with Takarada-san to see if there's anything we can do about it before you leave."

Kuon just shook his head as he checked his mirrors. "That's not necessary. We're only going to be here for a couple of more days, and they won't listen to the truth anyway. I suppose that's why Mom and Dad left too."

Yukihito leaned back in his seat. "That would make sense. Kuu did leave at the peak... Just like you're doing. It would actually explain a lot. From what I've read, things were even more crazy back then when it came to celebrities and relationships."

Kuon nodded in agreement. "That actually does sound right. He met my mom when she was on a modeling shoot in Okinawa." He chuckled. "And she is about as Caucasian as a person can get. She's Russian. She has blonde hair and green eyes. His fans here absolutely hated her." He explained as they headed to LME to finish off their day, then make their way to the Takarada Estate where they would be spending the remainder of their time in Japan before they left.

Yuki pondered for a moment. "Well, then I suppose it's a good thing that Lory was holding onto those offers for you and Setsu."

Kuon scoffed. "He's been holding onto those for awhile. Probably for just such an occasion, if you ask me." He chuckled. "Probably to reward us for not being so _"boring"_ , as he likes to put it."

Yuki laughed in agreement. "Knowing how he is, he's probably thrilled to death right now." And he actually was.


	62. Chapter 62

_**Chapter 62**_

* * *

As a wedding gift, Lory, Kuu, and Juli had built their children a beautiful home on a wonderful little piece of beach front property just north of Los Angeles. They didn't need to, Kuon and Setsu were well enough off to buy their own home. The only reason they rented a large apartment in the greater Los Angeles area, had been due to the fact that, that's where their work was and they traveled quite a bit. This gift was designed and purchased the week that the two had actually started dating. That's how certain they all were that the two would marry.

It was now the month of June; three months from the day the had made the decision to go on their Honeymoon and roughly three months from the days when Kuon told his fans in Japan that he didn't appreciate them harming his wife. It was one month from when he and Yukihito stepped on the plane in the darkness of night and fled Japan on a red-eye flight to California. Setsu had three more months until Kanae came for her filming, and Japan was still going insane over the loss of the claim that the Setsuka Hizuri and Kuon Hizuri were residents there. Of course the pair would visit for various promotions and Setsu would personally go to recruit a new model or two, but she would only stay for the auditions and a couple of days after to spend time with Lory, Maria, Ten, Ruto and her close personal friends. Their arrivals and departures were never announced, so the public and the media believed that the young Hizuri couple were doing just as Kuu and Juli had done many years ago, for the very same reasons.

For months, the phones for LME were flooded with calls begging for information. At one point a line was dedicated to field the calls via an answering service. The lobby and front of the building were clogged with gifts and flowers of apology from the fans. The sidewalk still had the women camping on it that wouldn't accept the fact that they would never have any kind of chance with Kuon. Lo and behold, Kana Kusunoki just happened to appear in that crowd once again, even though she'd been outed by Kuon, his manager Yukihito Yashiro, and Lory Takarada himself.

Setsu was there for a small promotional event for BoxR, that had been included in her contract, for the DVD release. Kuon was there for a quick on-location shoot for his current movie, at Tokyo Tower and a few other Tokyo locales. They would be there for two weeks, and each night they would call the guest house at the Takarada Estate home, and the fans had not yet discovered their little incognito stay.

"Babe... Babe, it's time to get up." Kuon whispered, gently caressing his wife as she slowly pulled from her slumber.

Setsuka groaned, rolled to her side and tiredly blinked. "Do I have to? So sleepy." She mumbled and dozed back off.

Kuon chuckled. "Come on, Babe. It's 8:30. You were going to have breakfast with Kanae and Chiori before we leave, and I have my last interview for my hospital drama that I finished before we moved."

She huffed and puffed out her cheeks then pouted. "Not hungry... food's gross." She pulled the covers over her head. "I feel like rubbish." She groused.

Kuon slid the covers down, kissed her cheek and pulled her into his arms. "Last day Setsu. All this travel's getting to you. We'll be home tomorrow night and be able to sleep in our own bed." He squeezed her a little. "Come on, you can do it." He coaxed.

She pushed down the covers and sat up. "Ugh..." The flopped back down. "Nope... Wanna sleep, Corn." She groaned.

He chuckled and pulled her back up. "Come on, Babe. I'll wash your back." He winked and watched her ooze off the bed like a lazy cat.

* * *

It was interesting. The official looking letter had been routed, and rerouted. Delivered first to her old apartment in Tokyo, then to the mail room at LME, to the former apartment that they shared in Tokyo, to the Takarada Estate, and finally mailed to their apartment in Los Angeles with a few stray bits of mail that had been undeliverable after they'd moved. It was now August and she was just now receiving this very important notice. Why could they not just call Papa and he could have let her know. No, that's honestly not how it works. Things such as this are very private and only for the patient's eyes or ears. It was a two month old notice that she needed to come in to the doctor's office and have her birth control implant changed. Apparently it was for three months, _**not**_ three years. She and Kuon had been without protection for three months.

Kuon came home to a pale wife sitting at the dining room table in the dark, a nearly dry tea kettle burning on the stove and whistling like a siren, and the only light in the apartment that had been on, had been in the kitchen. "Setsu, are you okay? What happened Babe?" He asked quietly after moving the tea kettle and turning off the stove, then quietly kneeling next to her.

With glazed eyes, her hand dropped the letter to his hands. He read silently, then nodded in understanding. He pulled her into his arms to comfort her. "It's okay Setsu. Everything will be alright. Maybe a little earlier than we planned, but we did agree that we both wanted children."

"But..." She started.

He chuckled. "Hmm, how about we worry about that after we know for sure?"

She nodded stiffly. "I suppose. I should probably make an appointment tomorrow." She sighed out.

"All better?" He asked softly.

She gasped and nearly jumped from her seat. "I didn't make dinner!"

He smiled and laughed. "Can I help?" He asked, wanting to just be near her. He didn't want her stressing over something like this, and he didn't want her to think he was avoiding her, because of this little bit of life altering news.

After the late dinner, one would find the pair cuddling until sleep took them.

* * *

He sat next to her on their sofa after their long two day wait. She looked exhausted, pale, and he could visibly tell she'd been losing weight. He snaked his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, stroking her hair as she began sobbing. He pulled her onto his lap, remained silent, just letting her cry.

"Wanna talk about it?" He murmured when she finally calmed down.

She sniffled and nodded. "I... I didn't know how much I wanted it to happen until I found that there's the possibility that... that it won't or can't happen." She told him sniffling again. "W-What if I have the same problem as Mum? W-What if I have to have a doctor's help to have babies or can't at all?" She started crying again.

He held her a little more closely. "Sh...Shh... We don't know that for sure," He tilted her face to look into her eyes. "and if it is true, we'll do what we have to. If that doesn't work, there are children out there that need parents to love them." He kissed her forehead. "It wouldn't be a terrible thing."

She nodded to him, and snuggled into the warmth that he offered.


	63. Chapter 63

_**Chapter 63**_

* * *

The morning after she told him her fears, the fear of being unable to even have children, the fear of having to put him through what her parents went through, they discussed the situation. She had been told by the doctor that the false pregnancy symptoms were a result of the birth control. She had developed a sensitivity to one of the main components that made most birth control effective. It was decided by both of them to not put her body through any more hardships due to medication. Kuon would take over the responsibility himself.

As he searched the internet, researching infertility, bad reactions to birth control, and ways that he could help her cope with her fears, he discovered that it was quite possible that they had just been a little off in the timing. A doctor really wouldn't diagnose her infertile unless they'd been trying for a year in earnest. Trying by using all of the recommended methods, such as: tracking ovulation periods, testing on both of them, and effective times and positions. Well, the last one gave him a little bit of a thrill, and a few naughty ideas.

"Researching a new role?" She asked as she sat a teacup and saucer to the side of his computer.

He looked up a little surprised and a little worried that he'd been caught. He didn't want for her to misinterpret his reasons for this particular research. He shook his head. "No... I was just thinking about what you were worried about and what the doctor said." He took her hand and pulled her onto his lap. "You know, I really wouldn't mind trying if it's something that you really want." He told her softly.

She snuggled into him and nodded. "You sure you wouldn't mind?" She murmured.

He chuckled. "Hmmm, I think the question is if it's something you want. I don't mind doing the job required."

She softly swatted his shoulder, pulled back, and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Kuon."

He pulled her back and kissed her sweetly. "Just remember what you said when you're in the delivery room." He chuckled again. "I've heard horror stories from my dad."

So the decision was made. They would try for a baby in earnest, and in a few months they would discover that their timing the first couple of times had indeed been off.

* * *

It had been a little more than six months since they'd made their decision. Now here she was standing in their bathroom, after work, staring at the little test stick in disbelief. The box contained two, advertised that it was 99% accurate, and she was staring at the second positive result. She honestly didn't know how long she'd been standing there. It had to be at least and hour, and Kuon was due home any minute, but that was the last thing on her mind as she felt her heart beating like a hummingbird, and her smile was as bright as the sun. She was even unaware of when Kuon called out to her to let her know he was home for the day.

"Setsu? You okay?" He asked when he'd finally found her sitting on the edge of the bathtub, staring at the little pink stripes on a very familiar type of stick.

She nodded and held it up for him, with eyes glistening. "K-Kuon... I..."

He took the home test from her as stared at it, looked up at her, back at the stick, and back at her once again. "S-Setsu?.. Did we make a baby?" He breathed out in quiet excitement. He wanted to make sure he didn't read the situation wrong.

She nodded, and looked up at him, then smiled again. "We made a baby, Kuon..." She breathed out then squeaked when she was pulled up into his arms, spun in a circle as he laughed, and kissed soundly.

"I love you." He whispered as he nuzzled her neck.

"I love you too." She told him as he settled her back to her feet, wiped the happy tears from her cheeks with his thumb, and rested his forehead on hers. "We should call our parents." She suggested in a somewhat worried tone.

He smiled and shook his head. "How about we wait until after the doctor's appointment? That way we'll be able to tell them when the due date is, and we'll have a little time for a celebration of our own."

She relaxed a little and nodded, then giggled. "Yeah, it'll give us time to brace for their reactions too."

He almost paled a little at the thought of Juli and Kuu's reactions, and then he remembered that Lory and Ten thought of her as a daughter too. Well, she was their goddaughter. The parent's reactions were going to be insane, now that he'd thought about it. This was something that all four, plus Maria had been nagging about, trying to trick them into, and been very vocal to anyone that would listen in their lamentation about not getting their way.

Kuon paled a little at one thought. He smiled a little nervously. "There is someone we should probably tell now though."

"Kuon? You look like you're about to diffuse a bomb. What's wrong?" She asked a little worried.

He groaned audibly. "We need to tell Kanae and Yuki."

Her eyes went wide and giggled. "Such a reaction to that thought. Why so worried? I'm certain they won't tell if we ask."

"I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about your best friend making a special trip to make sure that Junior is an only child, and I'll probably need a hearing aid after because of Yukihito." He was joking, but after a little thought, he suspected something like that wouldn't be very surprising.

* * *

" _Kanae... Kanae!"_ He heard Yuki exclaim. He heard Yuki drop the phone and rush away. Kuon held his phone away from his ears and stared at it. He looked over at his wife, and noticed that she had the most worried look on her face.

"Setsu? Is everything okay?" He asked as he gently rubbed her back.

She nodded a little stiffly, and sighed. "I think Kanae just fainted." She groaned out.

He chuckled. "Well, I suppose that would explain Yuki's reaction."

She gave him a confused look.

He smiled. "I think they're together. Yuki just yelled her name and dropped the phone." He told her as he ended the one-sided call with his friend and manager.

Setsu just shook her head. "I honestly didn't expect that reaction from her. I thought for sure I'd get a MO!.. or two from her. Maybe an hour long lecture on being irresponsible about birth control, and whatnot." She ended her one-sided call with her best friend and shook her head again. "Bloody hell, why are all of the people we know so odd?"

He let out a sharp laugh. "Babe... Don't forget, we still need to tell our parents once we have it confirmed."

"Ah yes... That... Kanae's and Yuki's reactions are somewhat normal compared to what we'll have to face with Papa and Mum." She groaned a little.

He smiled softly and shook his head, then gave her a quick chaste kiss. "Don't forget my parents. How long have they been nagging us about it?" He reminded.

Setsu rolled her eyes, and grabbed his hand. "Come, let make dinner. I'm starved."

Kuon paled a little. "Hopefully the baby won't have my dad's appetite."

She giggled, and gave him a quick peck, before dragging him to the kitchen.


	64. Chapter 64

_**Chapter 64**_

* * *

The one and only thing that prevented Kanae from storming out of her temporary apartment, that she was sharing with Yukihito, was the man himself. Damn him for being able to melt her icy façade with just a look or the right words. He reminded her of how Setsu and Kuon had been trying so very hard for a baby and had already been disappointed many times before, even if they hadn't been truly trying in the very beginning. So, once she sat and thought about it, she was quite happy for her friend and knew she would make an excellent mother.

* * *

Lory and Ten had been urged by the young couple to come and visit them, telling them they had some very important news and needed them there for it. Kuon and Setsu refused to give them the information over the phone. They wanted it to be more personal, and Kuon was not about to keep Setsu from the comfort of her parents if she needed it. She'd been really nervous about telling them, regardless of their enthusiasm on the subject in the past.

She was six weeks pregnant when they decided to make the announcement. Only two weeks from when they had privately celebrated in their bathroom, after seeing the two positive home tests. The reason for their wait? The simple fact that they wished to have the ultrasound photos to give to the grandparents that would most certainly want them; however, the photo was a little more shocking than one would expect. Clearly depicted, in the center of the light and dark images, was **two** tiny, peanut-shaped images. It had taken at least a week to recover from that news, and Kuon strutting around proudly like a rooster with a full hen-house, and just as overprotective. It wasn't until Setsu had called the doctor, and had him explain to Kuon that she didn't need nine months of bed-rest, that he finally backed off on the waiting on her hand and foot, doting over her, and insisting upon carrying her everywhere. Well, the last one was quashed by Kanae, when she told him Setsu would be fine, and that her own sisters had birthed twins, and when Yuki told him that she couldn't show up to her filmings, photo-shoots, and fashion shows with him carrying her there.

When the time came, the older couples were invited to the younger couple's home. It was a nice, calm weekend in the late summer. Kuon and Setsu had planned out their family cookout/party. They both cooked, he outside and she inside. The menu included fresh salad, easily grilled steaks (Kuon watched over them attentively), and roasted, herbed potatoes. On the dining room table, sat two gift-wrapped 8"x10" picture frames. In those frames sat protected, enlarged photos of their little "peanuts". Off to the side of each ribbon that wrapped said gifts, sat a little pink and blue card that read: For Mom and Dad, and on the other: For Mum and Papa.

After their wonderful dinner, Kuu, Juli, Lory, and Ten sat on the patio enjoying the evening breeze and the drinks that Setsuka had prepared for them. When the couples were nursing their second cocktails, Kuon had placed his gift in his mother's hands, and Setsu had given her's to Lory. Moments later there was a thud, two high-pitched squeals, and a beautiful, excited smile. Kuu had fainted, Juli and Lory had let out cries of joy, and Ten hugged her beautiful goddaughter.

"You do know you both are going to have to make some kind of statement or give an interview. Your fans in Japan have been frothing at the mouth for news about you two. The only thing that's been given to them has been the bits and pieces they've received via the internet." Lory informed Kuon regarding their little announcement, and their fans in Japan as Setsu went back into the house with Juli, to whip up some light snacks. She didn't want either of her sets of parents to be three sheets to the wind at the end of the evening.

Kuon sighed out. "Considering how my fans behaved when I left, I'm not certain I really want to go back and expose my pregnant wife to that despicable violence and behavior. Yashiro and Dad have been keeping me up to date on what's been going on. You still have those psychotic women camping on the steps of LME, claiming they can convince me to give up the only woman I've ever loved. The one I've know since I was ten years old. I refuse to go back until they accept that, and respect my life decisions. Which by the way, are absolutely no one's business other than my own. If they can't accept that, then I suppose I will not be returning to Japan... ever. I don't want Setsu to be harmed because some crazed fans can't accept that she's my wife."

"I'm very proud of you, Kuon. I wouldn't expect you to feel any other way, and I most certainly will not force you to return to such a toxic environment. I wouldn't dare ask you to bring my grandchildren into that type of situation." Lory hugged him and patted him on the back. "Congratulations, Son." He gave him a big smile.

"What are you going on about, Daddy." Setsu asked as she brought out a tray of snacks along with a pitcher of fresh lemonade, and some glasses.

Lory smiled. "I was just getting Kuon's thoughts on returning to Japan. What do you think, Sweetie?"

Setsu froze a little. She honestly didn't really want to go back, now that she had two little ones to protect. "I suppose if that's what he truly wants... I would be happy to accompany him." She told him, hiding her apprehension on the subject. "Even though there are a few concerns that I have."

Kuon quickly rushed to her and took the tray from her, kissing her cheek. "Setsu... We aren't going back. I already told you why."

She relaxed completely. _"Thank you, Kuon."_ She pulled him down and kissed his cheek.

Lory was happy that he was able to witness all of this. What made him even happier, was the secretly recorded, little impromptu interview that he just orchestrated. If Kuon's _crazy fans_ didn't get the picture after this, he would definitely make sure that Kuon and Setsu truly became unreachable to them. Any merchandise or news on them, would need to be acquired via international websites.

A week later, when the interview had been released, word for word, the sidewalk began to clear, the crazed fans had moved over to Akatoki to give their attentions to their resident _**second choice**_ , Sho Fuwa. He took it as a compliment, not an insult. To him, he had taken fans away from Tsuruga/Hizuri, it really didn't occur to him that they had basically migrated to him when they discovered that their _god_ had made his choice and told them off. Although, the new influx of super-fans had Aki Shoko less than pleased. They had to increase his entourage with three extra body-guards... for her. The crazed women were attacking her and throwing things at her all during the first week, and Sho honestly didn't see anything wrong with it. He claimed it just proved how possessive they were towards him. That it proved how much they loved him.

It only took one quick trip to the emergency room, for Akatoki to assign Aki her own body-guard and the threat to take Shoko away from him, before he finally relented and approved of the extras wherever they went. He was not about to replace her with a man. That would be so bad for his image. Besides, his manager directed his successful career, and in turn his successful career was affording him the mountains of females throwing themselves at him and warming his bed while on tour, and every weekend. If it weren't for Shoko, he wouldn't be getting enthusiastically laid on a regular basis, so protect Shoko was at the top of his list now, sort the women was just beneath that.


	65. Chapter 65

_**Chapter 65**_

* * *

God it felt so good. She was like putty in his hands as she moaned in pleasure at his touch. "Do you like that, Babe?" He murmured before kissing her ankle.

"F-Feel's so good Kuon..." She moaned once again. "B-But I need to make dinner."

"Don't your feet still hurt?" He gave her those heart-melting puppy eyes as he continued to knead her aching feet. "We can always order take-out." He suggested. He honestly didn't want her wasting her energy after a long day of carrying his children, preparing for the show in Paris, and a partial day of filming on location two hours away. He honestly didn't know how she did it.

She pushed herself up from the comfortable sofa, stood, and started to waddle to the kitchen. It was so cute he wanted to just wrap her up and never let her go. "Dinner, Kuon. No take-out."

"You are a stubborn one." He chuckled, following her into the kitchen to help with anything she decided to do.

"So... Have you thought of any names for them yet?" He asked as he sat at the counter, watching her prep the meat, as he cut the vegetables for her.

She looked up in thought and smiled. "I have at least two names in mind if they're boys." She commented with a small smile. Rick and Sean were the names that came to her mind. Even though she felt Rick had been somewhat of a bad influence on him, the man was there for him in the hard times and was like a brother to him.

He looked at her expectantly. "Well?"

She shrugged her shoulders a bit. "Have you thought of any girl's names?" She grinned a little.

He grinned. "Have you?"

She pouted, and rolled her eyes. "Fine... I'll tell. I think Richard is a nice name." She told him, popping a piece of carrot into her mouth.

"Sean's a pretty nice name too." He told her as he walked around the counter to her and kissed her temple.

"Have you thought of any girl's names yet." She asked as she started cooking the meat and vegetables.

"I think Liliana is a pretty name." He stroked her hair, and she leaned into him.

"Juliena is a pretty name too." She pulled him to her and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Love."

He pulled her in for a little hug. "Well, we still have almost three months before we have to decide on anything firm."

She giggled. "Maybe they'll let us see next week." They'd had three ultrasounds since deciding that they wanted to know the sex of their babies and the stubborn little sprites were in the wrong position every time.

He laughed. "Yeah, and maybe my dad will turn vegan and decide that he needs to eat less."

She swatted him playfully. "Kuon! You're terrible."

* * *

In life, things don't always go as planned, both Kuon and Setsu knew this from personal experience. Just as her own mother, Setsu had a difficult pregnancy towards the end. The twins were born almost two months early and were incredibly small. They were placed in incubators, fed breast milk through the tubes leading directly to their little tummies. Their diapers, booties, and little caps barely fit them. Ricky and Lily were so small that Kuon could hold one in his large hand without trouble.

After a month and a half, they were finally allowed to go home. Their little treasures would one day grow to be healthy strong children. If one could call having your parents completely devoted to you, have your extended family do the same when they weren't available, and have so many love you unconditionally, spoiled... then yes, they were spoiled rotten.

 _ **~Fin~**_

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sorry to cut it so short, but didn't wish to drag it out further. Couldn't think of any other way to end it without ruining it with a bunch of filler/fluff. LOL. Thank you for reading it. I may come back to it later and add a few extras or a epilogue.**_


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